Hime
by KeepingTogether
Summary: Orihime's secret, precious hope to study singing can come true. Ichigo Kurosaki, the handsomest boy in school, sets Orihime's heart on fire.She is devoted to her brooding brother; but with him, she imagines a lovely dream of romance. . .
1. I: Departure

**A-10-tion: **Hello everyone! It will be my pleasure to welcome you to my first UlquiHime fic. Before anything else, I would like to post some few **warnings**: First their would be slightly out of character (ooc) in this story, though i will try my best to maintain what original personality they have. Second, the story will be a bit dark, more on the angst category. And lastly, this story is Rated M.. If you find it so hard to comprehend then feel free to hit the back button. Anyway, please do enjoy reading!

**Full Summary:** Now Orihime and her older brother Ulquiorra have a chance for a decent, respectable life, and Orihime's secret, precious hope to study singing can come true. Ichigo Kurosaki, the handsomest boy in school, sets Orihime's heart on fire. She is deeply devoted to her brooding brother; but with Ichigo, she imagines a lovely dream of romance…

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Bleach or any of its characters.

**"Hime"**

Momma once told me that

She and Daddy named me Orihime

They said, I looked like a little porcelain princess

Because of my orange hair and fair skin,

I was name Orihime.

That was the first of a thousand lies

Momma and Daddy would tell me and my brother

Ulquiorra. Of course, we wouldn't know they

Were lies, not for a long time, not until the day they

Came to take use away…

**Chapter I: Departure  
**

The sound of dresser drawers being opened and closed woke me. I heard Momma and Daddy whispering in their room, and my heart began to thump fast and hard. I pressed my palm against my chest, took a deep breath, and turned to wake Ulquiorra, but he was already sitting up in our sofa bed. Bathed in the silver moonlight that came pouring through our bare window, my seventeen-year-old brother's face looked chiseled from granite. He sat there so still, listening. I lay there listening with him, listening to the hateful wind whistle through the cracks and crannies of this small cottage Daddy has found for us in Las Noche, a small, rundown town just Hueco Mundo. We had been here barely four months.

"What is it, Ulqui-nee? What's going on?" I asked, shivering partly from the cold and partly because deep inside I knew the answer.

Ulquiorra fell back against his pillow and then brought his hands behind his head. In a sulk, he stared up at the dark ceiling. The pace of Momma's and Daddy's movements became more frenzied.

"We were going to get a puppy here," Ulquiorra mumbled. "And this spring Mother and I were going to plant a garden and grow our own vegetables."

I could feel his frustration and anger like heat from an iron radiator.

"What happened?" I asked mournfully, for I, too had high hopes.

"Father came home later than usual," he said, a prophetic note of doom in his voice. "He rushed in here, his eyes wild, bright and wide. He went right in there, and not long after, they started packing. We might as well packed out belongs and dressed up," Ulquiorra said, throwing the blanket off him and turning to sit up. "They will be out here shortly, telling us to do it anyway."

I groaned. Not again, and not again in the middle of the night.

Ulquiorra leaned over to turn on the lamp by our pull-out bed and started to put on his socks so he wouldn't have to step down on a cold floor. He was so depressed, he didn't even worry about getting dressed in front of me. I fell back and watched him unfold his pants so he could slip into them, moving with a quiet resignation that made everything around me seem more like a dream. How I wished it were.

I was sixteen years old, and for as long as I could remember, we had been packing and unpacking, going from one place to another. I always seemed that just when my brother Ulquiorra, and I had finally settled into a new school and finally made some friends and I got to know my teachers, we had to leave. Maybe we really were no better than homeless gypsies like Ulquiorra always said, wanderers, poorer than the poorest, for even the poorest families had some place they could call home, some place they could return to when things went bad, a place where they had grandmas and grandpas or uncles and aunts to hug them and comfort them and make them fell good again. We would have settled even for cousins. At least, I could have.

I peeled back the blanket, and my nightgown fell away and exposed most of my bosom. I glanced at Ulquiorra and caught him gazing at me in the moonlight. He shifted his eyes away quickly. Embarrassment made my heart doki-doki, and I pressed my palm against my bodice of my nightgown. I had never told any of my girlfriends at school that Ulquiorra and I shared even a room together, much less this dilapidated pull-out bed. I was too ashamed, and I knew how they would react, embarrassing both Ulquiorra and me even more.

I brought my feet down in the freezing-cold bare wood floor. My teeth chattering, I embraced myself and hurried across the small room to gather up a blouse and a sweater and a pair of jeans. Then I went into the bathroom to dress.

By the time I finished, Ulquiorra had his suitcase closed. It seemed we always left something else behind each time. There was only so much room in Daddy's old car anyway. I folded my nightgown and put it neatly into my own suitcases. The clasps were as hard as ever to close and Ulquiorra had to help.

Momma and Daddy's bedroom door opened and they came out, their suitcases in hand, too. We stood there facing them, holding our own.

"Why do we have to leave in middle of the night again?" I asked, looking at Daddy and wondering if leaving would make him angry as it so often did.

"Best time to travel," Daddy mumbled. He glared at me with a quick order not to ask too many question. Ulquiorra was right, Daddy had that wild look again, and a look that seemed so unnatural, it sent shivers up and down my spine. I hated it when Daddy got that look. He was a handsome man with rugged features, a cap of sleek brown hair and match with its dark brown eyes. When the day came that I fell in love and decided to marry, I hoped my husband would be just as handsome as Daddy. But I hated it when Daddy was displeased, when he got that wild look. It marred his handsome features and made him ugly and sometimes I couldn't bear to see.

"Ulquiorra, take the suitcases down. Orihime, you help your momma pack up whatever she wants from the kitchen."

I glanced at Ulquiorra. He was only one year older than I was, but there was a wider gap in our looks. He was tall and lean and muscular. I was small with what Momma called "China doll features." And I really didn't take after Momma, either, because she was tall. She told me she was more like a boy until she was thirteen, when she suddenly blossomed.

We didn't have many pictures of family. Matter of fact, all I had was one picture of Momma when she was fifteen. I would sit for hours gazing into her young face, searching for signs of myself. She was smiling in the picture and standing under a cheery blossom tree. She wore an ankle-length skirt and a fluffy blouse with frilly sleeves and a frilly collar. Her long, dark hair looked soft and fresh. Even in this old black and white photo, her eyes sparked with hope and love. Daddy said he'd taken the picture with a small box camera he had bought for a quarter from a friend of his. He wasn't sure it would work, but at least this picture came out. If we'd ever had any other photos, they'd been either lost or left behind during our many moves.

However, I thought that even in this simple old photograph with its black and white fading into sepia and its edges fraying. Momma looked so pretty that it was easy to see why Daddy had lost his heart to her so quickly even though she was only fifteen at the time. She was barefoot in the picture, and I thought she looked fresh and innocent and as lovely as anything else nature had offer.

Momma and Ulquiorra had the same shimmering black hair, though Ulquiorra had green color eyes. They both had this pale complexion with beautiful white teeth that allowed them ivory smiles, but then again it was rare for Ulquiorra to smile, and the reason is unknown. Daddy had dark brown hair, but mine was orange. And I had gray color eyes, no one else in my family had this eye color.

"What about that rake and shovel we bought for the garden?" Ulquiorra asked, careful not to let even a twinkle of hope show in his eyes.

"We don't have room for it," Daddy snapped.

Poor Ulquiorra, I thought. Momma said he was born all crunched up as tightly as fist, his eyes sewn shut. She said she gave birth to Ulquiorra on a farm. They had just arrived there and gone knocking on the door, hoping to find some work, when her labor began.

They told me I had been born on the road, too. They had hoped to have me born in a hospital, but they were forced to leave one town and start out for another where Daddy had already secured new employment. They left late in the afternoon one day and traveled all that day and that night.

"We were between nowhere and no place, and all of a sudden you wanted to come into this world," Momma told me. "Your daddy pulled the truck over and said, 'Here we go again, Retsu.' I crawled onto the truck bed where we had an old mattress, and as the sun came up, you entered this world. I remember how the birds were singing.

"I was looking at a bird as you were coming into this world, Orihime-chan. That's why you sing so pretty," Momma said. "Your grandmomma always said what ever a woman looked at just before, during, or right after giving birth, that's what characteristics the child would have. The worst thing was pregnant."

"What would happen, Momma?" I asked, filled with wonder.

"The child would be sneaky, cowardly."

I sat back amazed when she told me all this. Momma had inherited so much wisdom. It made me wonder and wonder about our family, a family we had never seen. I wanted to know so much more, but it was difficult to get Momma and Daddy to talk about their early lives. I suppose that was because so much of it was painful and hard.

We knew they wee both brought up on small farms in a small village in Roppongi District, where their people eked out poor livings from small patches of land. They had both come from big families that lived in rundown farmhouses. There just wasn't any room in either household for a newly married, very young couple with a pregnant wife, so they began what would be our family's history of traveling, traveling that had not yet ended. We were on our way again.

Momma and I filled a carton with those kitchen wares she wanted to take along and then gave it to Daddy to load in the car. When she was finished, she put her arm around my shoulders, and we both took one last look at the humble little kitchen.

Ulquiorra was standing in the doorway, watching. His eyes turned from pools of sadness to emerald-green pools of anger when Daddy came in to hurry us along. Ulquiorra blamed him for our gypsy life. I wondered sometimes if maybe he wasn't right. Often Daddy seemed different from other man, more fidgety, more nervous. I would never say it, but I hated it whenever he stopped off at a bar on his way home from work. He would usually come home in a sulk and stand by the windows watching as if he were expecting something terrible. None of us could talk to him when he was in one of those moods. He was like that now.

"Better get going," he said, standing in the door way, his eyes turning even colder as they rested for a second on me.

For a moment I was stunned. Why had Daddy given me such cold look? It was almost as if he blamed me for our having to leave.

As soon as the thought entered my mind, I chased it away. I was being silly! Daddy would never blame me for anything. He loved me. He was just mad because Momma and I were being so slow and dawdling, instead of hurrying out the door. As if reading my mind, Momma suddenly spoke.

"Right," she said quickly. Momma and I started for the door, for we had all learned from hard experience that Daddy was unpredictable when his voice turned so tight with anger. Neither one of us wanted to invoke his wrath. We turned back once and then closed the doors before.

There were few stars out. I didn't like nights without stars. On those night shadows seemed so much darker and longer to Tonight was of those nights, cold, dark, all the windows in houses around us black. The wind carried a piece of paper through the street, and off in the distance a dog howled. Then I heard a siren. Some where in the night someone was in trouble, I thought, some poor person was being carried off to the hospital, or maybe the police were chasing a criminal or chasing us,

"Let's move along," Daddy ordered and sped up as if they were chasing us.

Ulquiorra and I squeezed ourselves into the backseat with our cartons and suitcases.

"Where are we going this time?" Ulquiorra demanded without disguising his displeasure.

"Karakura Town," Momma said.

"Karakura Town!" I said.

"Yes, your daddy's got a job in a garage there, and I'm sure I can lend me a chambermaid job in one of the motels."

"Karakura Town," Ulquiorra muttered under his breath. Big cities still frightened both of us.

As we droved away from Las Noche and the darkness fell around us, our sleepiness returned. Ulquiorra and I closed our eyes and fell asleep against each other as we had so many times before.

**To Be Continue…**

**A-10-tion:** So, what do you think? Did you find it quite interesting? If yes, then don't hesitate to click on the Review button! Are you curious to know who's Orihime's Daddy? then I hope you already had an idea as to who he is.. specially on the clue I stated there. And if you don't know, just give me a review and i'll be willing to answer your question. As for Orihime's Momma, well.. i stated her name already!

Next Chapter: New place, new face.. What will going to happen to Orihime and her family? Will their be hope and joy, or... despair awaits them.


	2. II: Another New Place

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Bleach or any of its characters.

"**Hime"**

I... wonder what it is

In the Karakura air that enables me

To sit up till all hours

Of the night in an atmosphere of

Serenity and life

Which in Roppongi,

It would make a horse dizzy,

But here merely clears the brain,

And peaceful at it is.

**Chapter II: Another New Place**

Daddy had been planning our new move for a little while because he had already found us a place to live. Daddy often did things quietly and then announced them to us.

Because the rents in the city were so much higher, we could afford only a one-bedroom apartment, so Ulquiorra and I still had to share a room. And the sofa bed! It was barely big enough for the two of us. I knew sometimes he awoke before me but didn't move because my arm was on him and he didn't want to wake me and embarrass me about it. And there were those time he touched me accidentally where he wasn't supposed to. The blood would rush to his face, and he would leap off the bed as if it had started to burn. He wouldn't say anything to acknowledge he had touched me, and I wouldn't mention it.

It was usually like that. Ulquiorra and I simply ignored things that would embarrass other teenage boys and girls forced to live in such close quarters, but I couldn't help sitting by and dreaming longingly for the same wonderful privacy most of my girlfriends enjoyed, especially when they described how they could close their doors and gossip on their own phones or write love notes without anyone in their families knowing a thing about it. I was even afraid to keep a diary because everyone would be looking over my shoulder.

This apartment differed little from most of our previous homes – the same small rooms, peeling wall paper, and chipped paint. The same windows that didn't close well. Ulquiorra hated our apartment so much that he would rather sleep in the street.

But just when we thought things were as bad as they could be, they got worse.

Late one afternoon month after we had moved to Karakura Town, Momma came home from work much earlier than usual. I had been hoping she would bring something else for us to have for dinner. We were at the tail and of the week, Daddy's payday, and most of our money from the previous week was gone. We had been able to have one or two good meals during the week, but now we were eating leftovers. My stomach was rumbling just as much as Ulquiorra's was, before either of us could complain, the door opened and we both turned, surprised to see Momma come in. She stopped, shook her head, and started to cry. Then she hurried across the room to her bedroom.

"Momma! What's wrong?" I called after her, but her only answer was to slam the door. Ulquiorra looked at me and I at him, both of us frightened. I went to her door and knocked softly. "Momma?" Ulquiorra came up beside me and waited. "Momma, can we come in?" I opened the door and looked inside.

She was facedown on the bed, her shoulders shaking. We entered slowly, Ulquiorra right beside me. I sat down on the bed and put my hand on her shoulder.

"Momma?"

Finally she stopped sobbing and turned to look up at us.

"Did you lose your job, Mother?" Ulquiorra asked quickly.

"No, it's not that, Ulqui." She sat up, grinding her small fists against her eyes to wipe the tears away. "Although I won't be having the job all that much longer."

"Then what it is, Momma? Tell us," I begged.

She sniffed and pushed back her hair and took each of our hands into hers.

"You're going to have a new brother or sister," she decleared.

My pounding heart paused. Ulquiorra's eyes widened and his mouth dropped open.

"It's my fault. I just ignored and ignored the signs. I never thought I was pregnant, because I didn't have any more children after Orihime. I finally went to a doctor today and found out I was a little more on four months pregnant. Suddenly I'm going to have a child, and now I won't be able to work, too," she said and began to cry again.

"Oh, Momma, don't cry." The thought of another mouth to feed dropped a black shadow over my heart. How could we manage it? We didn't have enough as it was.

I looked to Ulquiorra to urge him to say something comforting, but he looked stunned and angry. He just stood there, staring.

"Did you already inform this to Father?" he asked.

"No," she said. She took a deep breath. "I'm too old and tired to have another baby," she whispered and shook her head.

"You are mad at me, don't you Ulquiorra?" Momma asked him. He was sullen, I wanted to kick him. Finally he shook his head.

"Now, Mother, I'm not mad at you. It is not your fault." He swung his eyes at me, and I knew he was blaming Daddy.

"Then give me a hug. I need one right now."

Ulquiorra looked away and then leaned toward Momma. He gave her a quick hug, mumbled something about having to get something outside, and then hurried out.

"You just lay back and rest Momma," I said. "I almost have the dinner all made anyway."

"Dinner, What do we have to eat? I was going to try to pick up something tonight, see if we could charge any more on our grocery bill, but with this pregnancy and all, I forgot about eating."

"We'll make do, Momma," I said. "Daddy gets paid today, so tomorrow we'll eat better."

"I'm sorry, Orihime-chan," she said, her face wrinkling up in preparation for her sobs again. She shook her head. "Ulquiorra's so mad. I can see it in his eyes. He's got Aizen's temper."

"He's just surprised, Momma. I'll see about dinner," I repeated and went out and closed the door softly behind me, my fingers trembling on the knob.

A baby, a little brother or sister! Where would a baby sleep? How could Momma take care of a baby? If she couldn't work, we would have even less money. Didn't grown-up plan these things? How could they let it happen?

I went outside to look for Ulquiorra and found him throwing a rubber ball against the wall in the alle. It was mid-April, so the chill was out of the air, even in the early evening. I could just make out some stars starting their entrance onto the sky. The neon lights about the doorway of Fugita's Bar and Grill at the corner had been turned on. Sometimes, on his way home on a hot day, Daddy would stop in there for a cold beer. When the door was opened and closed, the laughter and the music from the jukebox spilled out and then died quickly on the sidewalk, a sidewalk always dirtied with papers and candy wrappers and garbage cans. I could hear two cats in heat threaten each other in an alleyway. A man was shouting curses up at another man, who leaned out a two story window just laughed down at him.

I turned to Ulquiorra. He was as tight as a fist again, and he was heaving all his anger with each and every throw of the ball.

"Ulqui-nee?"

He didn't answer me.

"Ulqui-nee, you don't want to make Momma fell any worse than she already does, do you?" I asked him softly. He seized the ball in the air and turned on me.

"What is the use of pretending? One thing we definitely do not need right now is another child in the house. Look at what we are eating for dinner to night, do you call it edible when you know it is not?"

I swallowed hard. His words were like cold rain falling on a warm campfire.

"We do not even have enough money to buy baby's cloth and diaper, especially a crib." He continued. "And babies need lotion and creams for his or her daily expenses. Do you not think they need those things?"

"They do, but –"

"Well, why did not Father think of that? He is off with those friends who hang around the garage, just as if he's on top of the world, and now here is this," he said, gesturing toward our building.

Why hadn't Daddy thought of that? I wondered. I had heard of girls going all the way and becoming pregnant, but that was because they were just girls and didn't know better.

"It just happened, I guess," I said, fishing for Ulquiorra to give his opinion.

"It does not just happen. A woman does not wake up one morning and find out she is pregnant."

"Don't the parents plan to have it?"

He looked at me and shook his head.

"Father probably came home drunk one night and . . ."

"And what?"

". . . They made the baby, that is all."

"And didn't know they had?"

"Well, they do not always make a baby each time they . . ." He shook his head. "You will have to ask Mother about the detail. I do not know the rest of it," he said quickly, but I knew he did.

"It's going to be hell to pay when Father gets home," he said, shaking his head as we walked back inside. He spoke in a voice just above a whisper and gave me a fearful chill. My heart pounded in anticipation.

Most of the time when trouble came raining down over us, Daddy would decide we had to pack up and run, but we couldn't run from this. Because I always cooked dinner, I knew better than anyone that we didn't have anything to spare for a baby. Not a cent, not a crumb.

When Daddy arrived home from work that night, he looked a lot more tired than usual and his hands and arms were all greasy.

"I had pull out a car transmission and rebuild it in one day," he explained, thinking the way he looked was why Ulquiorra and I were staring at him so strangely.

"Something wrong?"

"Aizen dear," Momma Called. Daddy hurried into the bedroom. I busied myself with the dinner, but my heart started to pound so hard I could barely breathe. Ulquiorra went to the window that looked out on the north side of the street and stood staring as still as a statue. We heard Momma crying again. After a while it grew quiet and then Daddy emerged. Ulquiorra pivoted expectantly.

"Well, now, you two already know, I reckon." He shook his head and looked back at the closed door behind him.

"How do we manage this?" Ulquiorra asked quickly.

"I don't know," Daddy said, his eyes darkening. His face began to take on that mad look, his lips curling in at the corners, some whiteness of his teeth flashing through. He ran his fingers through his brown hair and sucked in some breath.

Ulquiorra flopped down in a kitchen chair. "Other people plan this to happen," he muttered.

Daddy's face flared. I couldn't believe he had said it. He knew Daddy's temper, but I recalled what Momma said: Ulquiorra had the same temper. Some times they were like two bulls with a red flag between them.

"Don't get smart," Daddy said and headed for the door.

"Where're you going, Daddy?" I called.

"I need to think," he said. "Eat without me."

Ulquiorra and I listened to Daddy's feet pound the hallway floor, his steps announcing the anger and turmoil in his body.

"Eat without him, he says," Ulquiorra whisper.

"He's going to Fugita's Bar," I predicted. Ulquiorra nodded in agreement and sat back, staring glumly at his plate.

"Where is Aizen?" Momma asked, stepping out of her bedroom.

"He went off to think, as well as to eat his meals." Ulquiorra said. "He's probably trying to come up with a plan and needs to be alone for a while," he added, hoping to ease her burden.

"I don't like him going off like that," Momma complained. "It never comes to no good. You should go look for him Ulqui."

"Go look for him? It would not be appropriate for me to go Mother. As far as I know, Father does not like me to do that. Let us eat and wait for him to come back." Momma wasn't happy about it, but she sat down and I served the grits and black eye peas. I had added some salt and a little bit of bacon grease I had saved.

"I'm sorry I didn't try to get us something else," Momma said, apologizing again. "But Orihime, honey, you did real fine with this. It tastes good. Don't it, Ulqui?"

He looked up from his bowl. I saw he hadn't been listening. Ulquiorra could get lost in his own thoughts for hours and hours if no one pestered him, especially when he was unhappy.

"Hm.. Yes, this is quite good."

After supper Momma sat up for a while listening to the radio and reading one of the used magazines she had brought back from the motel she worked in. The hours ticked by. Every time we heard a door slam or the sound of a footstep, we anticipated Daddy coming through the door, but it grew later and later and he didn't reappear.

Whenever I gazed at Momma, I saw sadness draped her face like a wet flag, heavy and hard to shake off. Finally she stood up and announced she had to go to bed. She took a deep breath, holding her hands against her chest and headed for her bedroom.

"I'm tired as well," Ulquiorra said. He got up and went to the bathroom to get ready for bed. I started to pull out the sofa bed, but then stopped, thinking about Momma lying in her bed, worried and frightened. In a moment I made up my mind – I opened the door quietly and left to look for Daddy.

I hesitated outside the door of Fugita's Bar and Grill. I had never been in a bar. My hand trembled as I reached out for the doorknob, but before I could pull it, the door swung open and a tan-skinned woman with too much lipstick and rouge on her face stepped out. She had a cigarette dangling from the corner of her mouth. She paused when she saw me and smiled. I saw she had teeth missing toward the back of her mouth.

"Why, what you doing coming here, honey? This ain't no place for someone as young as you."

"I'm looking for Aizen Sosuke Schiffer," I said. "I thought he might be in here." A glance down the bar didn't produce him.

"He joined the army," someone quipped.

"Shut up," the bartender snapped. Then he turned back to me. "He's over there," he said and gestured with his head toward the tables on the left. I looked and saw Daddy slumped over a table, but I was afraid to walk farther into the bar and grill. "You can wake him up and take him home," the bartender advised.

Some of the men at the bar spun around to watch me as if it were the evening's entertainment.

"Let her be, "the bartender commanded.

I walked between the tables until I reached Daddy. He had his head on his arms. There were five empty bottles of beer on the table and another nearly emptied. A glass with just a little beer in it was in front of the bottle.

"Daddy," I said softly. He didn't budge. I looked back at the bar and saw that even the men who had continued to watch me had lost interest. "Daddy," I repeated a little louder. He stirred, but didn't lift his head. I poked him gently on the arm. "Daddy." He grunted and then slowly lifted his head.

"What?"

"Daddy, please come home now," I said. He wiped his eyes and gazed at me.

"What . . . What are you doing here, Orihime?" he asked quickly.

"Momma went to bed a while ago, but I know she's just lying there awake waiting for you, Daddy."

"You shouldn't come in a place like this," he said nothing sharply, making me jump.

"I didn't want to come, Daddy, but –"

"All right, all right," he side. "I guess I can't do nothing right these days," he added, shaking his head.

"Just come home, Daddy. Everything will be all right."

"Yes. . ." He said. He gazed at his beer a moment and then pushed back from the table. "Let's get you out here. You shouldn't be here," he repeated. He started to stand and then sat down hard. He looked down at the bottles of beer again and then put his hand in his pocked and took out his billfold. He counted it quickly and shook his head.

"Lost track of what I spent," he said, more to himself than to me, but when he said it, it sent a cold chill down my back.

"How much did you spend, Daddy?

"Too much," he moaned. "Afraid we won't be eating all that well this week, either," he concluded. He pushed himself away from the table again and stood up. "Com on," he said. Daddy didn't walk straight until we reached the door.

"Sleep tight!" one of the men at the bar called. Daddy didn't acknowledge him. He opened the door and we stepped out. I was never so happy to confront fresh air again. The musty smell of the bar had turns my stomach. Why would Daddy even want to walk in there, much less spend time there? I wondered. Daddy appreciated the fresh air, too, and took some deep breaths.

"I don't like you going in a place like that," he said, walking. He stopped suddenly and looked at me, shaking his head. "You're smarter and better than the rest of us Orihime. You deserve better."

"I'm not better than anybody else Daddy," I protested, but he had said all he was going to, and we continued to our apartment. When we opened the door, we found Ulquiorra already in the pull out bed, the covers drawn so high, they nearly covered his face. He didn't turn our way. Daddy went right to his bedroom, and I crawled under the cover with Ulquiorra, who stirred.

"You went to Fugita's bar and get him there?" he asked a whisper.

"Yes."

"If I had been the one who fetch him, I can guess that he will be furious," he said.

"No, he wouldn't Ulqui-nee, he'd. . ."

I stopped because we heard Momma moan. Then we heard what sounded like Daddy laughing. A moment later there was a distinct sound of the bed springs. Ulquiorra and I knew what that meant. In our close quarters we had grown used to the sounds people often make whenever they make love. Of course, when we were young, we didn't know what it meant, but when we learned, we pretended that we didn't hear it.

Ulquiorra drew the blanket up toward his ears again, but I was confused and a bit fascinated.

"Ulqui-nee," I whispered.

"Go to sleep, Orihime," he pleaded.

"But Ulqui-nee, how can they –"

"Just go to sleep, will you?"

"I mean Momma's pregnant. Can they still . . .?" Ulquiorra didn't respond. "Isn't it dangerous?"

"Will you be so kind to stop asking that kind of question?"

"But I thought you might know. Boys usually know more than girls," I said.

"I do not know the answer to that," he replied. "So, please keep your mouth shut." He turned his back to me again.

It quieted down in Momma and Daddy's room, but I couldn't stop wondering. I wished I had an older sister who wouldn't be embarrassed with my questions. I was too embarrassed to ask Momma about these things because I didn't want her to think Ulquiorra and I were eavesdropping.

My leg grazed Ulquiorra's, and he pulled away as if I had burned him. Then he slid over to his end of the bed until he was nearly off. I shifted as far over to mines as I could, too. Then I closed my eyes and tried to think of other things.

As I was falling asleep, I thought of that woman who had come to the bar door just as I was about to open it to enter. She was smiling down at me, her lips twisted and rubbery, her teeth yellow and the cigarette smoke twirling up and over her bloodshot eyes.

I was so glad I had managed to get Daddy home.

**To Be Continue…**

**A-10-tion: **So there you have it! My second chap, though it's a bit long still it worth reading right? Anyway, for the character… Well, OOC present. Do you find it odd? I made Orihime the best cooker here; she knows how to cook, delicious to that. Ulquiorra is a bit expressive no? Though his giving who he is there, since it was his family, if other people he doesn't know approach him then that would be different and Ulquiorra stoic emerge, he'll be the Ulquiorra we know in Bleach! As for Orihime's Parents, Momma (Retsu Unohana) and Daddy (Sōsuke Aizen) what do you think about them, being a couple here? And oh... What Momma's baby gender would be? Lets the guessing begins! Let me know what you think people (about the story) and press on the review button!


	3. III: Karakura High

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Bleach or any of its characters

"**Hime"**

I am always ready to learn

Although I do not always like being taught

By people who make me feel

Anxious.

New school always makes me wonder,

Why do we need to go in such place?

I always wonder about my appearance,

Will it be as good as theirs?

I wonder if they'll like me,

Or just be full of stares.

I wonder if my teacher will look like Momma

And I wonder if my self is aware

To this unfamiliar school.

**Chapter III: Karakura High**

One afternoon during the first week of Momma's ninth month while I was preparing dinner and Ulquiorra was struggling over some homework on the kitchen table, we heard Momma scream. We rushed into the bedroom and found her clutching her stomach.

"What is it, Momma?" I asked, my heart pounding. "Momma!" Momma reached out and seized my hand.

"Call for an ambulance," she said through her clenched teeth. We didn't have a telephone in the apartment and had to use the pay phone on the corner. Ulquiorra shot out the door.

"Is this supposed to happen, Momma?" I asked her. She simply shook her head and moaned again, her fingernails pressing so hard and so sharply into my skin, they nearly caused me to bleed. She bit down on her lower lip. The pain came again and again. Her face turned a pale, sickly yellow.

"The hospital is sending an ambulance," Ulquiorra announced after charging back in.

"Did you call your daddy?" Momma asked Ulquiorra through her clenched teeth. The pain wouldn't let go.

"No," he replied. "I will be calling him then,"

"Tell him to go directly to the hospital," she ordered.

It seemed to take forever and ever for the ambulance to come. They put Momma on a stretcher and carried her out. I tried to squeeze her hand before they closed the door, but the attendant forced me back. Ulquiorra stood beside me, his hands on his packet, his shoulders heaving with his deep, excited breaths.

The sky was ominously dark and it had begun to rain a colder, harder rain than we had been having. There was even some lightning across the bruised, charcoal-gray clouds. The gloom dropped a chill over me, and I shuddered and embraced myself as the ambulance attendants got in and started away.

"Come along," Ulquiorra said. "We will catch the bus on the Main Street."

He grabbed my hand and we ran. When we got off the bus at the hospital, we went directly to the emergency room and found Daddy speaking with a tall doctor with pink hair and cold, brown eyes. Just as we reached them, we heard the doctor say, "The baby's turned wrong and we need to operate on your wife. We can't wait much longer. Just follow me to sign some papers and we'll get right to it, sir."

Ulquiorra and I watched Daddy walk off with the doctor, and then we sat on a bench in the hall.

"This is ridiculous," Ulquiorra suddenly muttered, "ridiculous to have a baby now."

"Don't say that, Ulqui-nee," I chided. His words made my own fears crash in upon me like waves.

"Well, I do not want a baby who threatens Mother's life, and I do not want a baby who will make our lives more miserable," he snapped, but he didn't say anything more about it when Daddy returned. I don't know how long we had been sitting there waiting before the doctor finally appeared again, but Ulquiorra had fallen asleep against me. As soon as we set eyes on the doctor, we sat up. Ulquiorra's eyelids fluttered open and he searched the doctor's expression as frantically as I did.

"Congratulations, Mr. Schiffer," the doctor said, "you've got a seven pound, fourteen ounce baby girl." He extended his hand and Daddy shook it.

"I see. And my wife?"

"She's in the recovery room. She had hard time Mr. Schiffer. Her blood count was a little lower than we like, so she's going to need to be built up."

"Thank you Doctor." Daddy said. The doctor's lips moved into a smile that didn't reach his eyes.

After we went up to maternity, all three of us gazed down at the tiny pink face wrapped in a white blanket. Baby Schiffer had her fingers curled. They looked no bigger than the finger on my first doll. She had a patch of black hair, the same color and richness as Ulquiorra's and Momma's hair and not a sign of orange strand. That was a disappointment.

It took Momma longer than we expected to get back on her feet after she came home. Her weakened condition made her susceptible to a bad cold and a deep bronchial cough and she couldn't breast-feed like she had planned, so we had another expense – formula.

Despite the hardship Karen's arrival brought, I couldn't help but be fascinated with my little sister. I saw the way she discovered her own hands, studied her own fingers. Her dark eyes, Momma's eyes, brightened with each of her discoveries. Soon she was able to clutch my finger with her tiny fist and hold on to it. Whenever she did that, I saw her struggle to pull herself up. She groaned like an old lady and made me laugh.

Her patch of black hair grew longer and longer. I combed the strands down the back of her head and down the sides, measuring their length until they reached the top of her ears and the middle of her neck. Before long, she was stretching with firmness, pushing her legs out and holding them straight. Her voice grew louder and sharper, too, which meant when she wanted to be fed, everyone knew it.

With Momma not yet very strong, I had to get up in the middle of the night to feed Karen. Ulquiorra complained a lot, pulled the blanket over his head, and moaned, especially when I turned on the lights. He threatened to sleep in the bathtub.

Daddy was usually grouchy in the morning from his lack of sleep, and as the sleepless nights went on, his face took on a gray, unhealthy look. Early each morning he would sit slumped in his chair, shaking his head like a man who couldn't believe how many storms he had been in. When he was like this, I was afraid to talk to him. Everything he said was usually gloom and doom. Most of the time, that meant he was thinking of moving again. What scared me to the deepest place in my heart was the fear that one day he might just move on without us. Even though sometimes he scared me, I loved my father and longed to see one of his rare smiles come my way.

"When your luck turns bad," he would say, "there's nothing to do but change it. A branch that don't bend breaks."

"Momma looks like she's getting thinner and thinner and not stronger and stronger, Daddy," I whispered when I served him cup of coffee one early morning. "And she won't go to the doctor."

"I know." He shook his head.

I took a deep breath and made the suggestion I knew he wouldn't want to hear. "Maybe we should sell the pearls Daddy."

Our family owned one thing of value, one thing that had never been used to mend our hard times. A string of pearls so creamy white they took my breath away the one time I'd been allowed to hold them. Momma and Daddy considered them sacred. Ulquiorra wondered, as I did, why we clung to them so tenaciously.

"The money it would bring in would give Momma chance to really get well," I finished weakly.

Daddy looked up at me quickly and shook his head.

"Your momma would rather die than to sell those pearls. That's all we got that ties us, ties you, to the family."

How confusing this was to me. Neither Momma nor Daddy wanted to return to their family business in Seireitei to visit our relatives, and yet the pearls, because they were all we had to remind Momma of her family, were treated like something religious. They were kept hidden in the bottom of a dresser drawer. I couldn't recall a time Momma had even worn them.

After Daddy left I was going to go back to sleep, but I changed my mind, thinking that it would only make me feel more tired. So I started to get dressed. I thought Ulquiorra was fast asleep. He and I shared an old dresser Daddy had picked up at a lawn sale. It was on his side of the pull out bed. I tiptoed over to it and slipped my nightgown off. Then I pulled out my drawer gently, searching for my underthings in the subdued light that spilled in from the bulb in the stove when the stove door was left down. I was standing there naked trying to decide what I should wear that would be warm enough for what looked to be another bitterly cold day, when I turned slightly and out of the corner of my eye caught Ulquiorra gazing up at me.

I know I should have covered up quickly, but he didn't see I had turned slightly and I couldn't help but be intrigued by the way he stared. His gazed moved up and down my body, drinking me in slowly. When he lifted his eyes higher, he saw me watching him. He turned quickly on his back and locked his eyes on the ceiling. I quickly drew my nightgown up against my body, took out what I wanted to wear, and scurried across the room to the bathroom to dress. We didn't talk about it, but I couldn't get the look in his eyes out of my mind.

In January Momma, who was still thin and weak, got a part time job cleaning Mrs. Unagiya gave Momma a nice chicken or a small turkey. One Friday afternoon Daddy surprised Ulquiorra and me by coming home much earlier from work.

"Old man Tsukabishi's selling the garage," he announced. "With those two bigger and more modern garages being built only blocks away, business has begun to drop off something terrible. People who are buying the garage don't want to run it as a garage. They want the property to develop housing."

Here we go again, I thought – Daddy loses a job and we have to move. When I told one of my friends Tatsuki Arisawa, about our many moves, she said she thought it might be fun to go from school to school.

"It's not fun," I told her. "You always feel like you've got ketchup on your face or a big mole on the tip of your nose when you first walk into a new classroom. All the kids turn around and stare, watching my every move and listening to my voice. I had a teacher once who was so angry I had interrupted her class, she made me stand in front of all the time the student were goggling me. I didn't know where to shift my eyes. It was so embarrassing," I said, but I knew Tatsuki-chan couldn't understand just how new faces so often. She had lived in Karakura Town all her life. I couldn't even begin to imagine what that was like: to live in the same house and have your own room for as long as you could remember, to know your relatives nearby to hold you and love you, to know your neighbors forever and ever and be so close to them, they were like family. I hugged my arms around myself and wished with all my heart that one day I might live like that. But I knew it could never happen. I'd always be a stranger.

Now Ulquiorra and I looked at each other and turned to Daddy, expecting him to tell us to start packing. But instead of looking sour, he suddenly smiled.

"Where's you ma?" he asked.

"She's not back from work yet Daddy," I said.

"Well, today's the last day she will be working in others peoples houses," he said. He looked around the apartment and nodded. "The last time," he repeated. I glanced quickly at Ulquiorra, who looked just as astonished as I was.

"Why?"

"What is happening?" Ulquiorra inquired.

"I got a new and much, much better job today," Daddy said.

"We're going to stay here, Daddy?" I asked.

"Yes and that is not the best yet. You two are going to one of the finest schools in this town, and it will not cost us nothing," he announced.

"Cost us?" Ulquiorra said, his face twisted with confusion. "Why should it cost us to go to school, Father? It's never cost us before, has it?"

"No, son, but that's because you and your sister been going to public schools, but now you're going to a private school."

"A private school!" I gasped. I wasn't sure, but I thought that meant very wealthy kids whose families had important names and whose fathers owned big estates with mansions and armies of servant and whose mothers were society woman who had their pictures taken at charity balls. My heart began to pound. I was excited, but also quite frightened of the idea. When I looked at Ulquiorra, I saw his eyes had shadowed and grown deep green and dark.

"Us? Go to a fancy private school in Karakura Town?" he asked.

"That is right son. You're getting in tuition free."

"Well, why is that Daddy?" I asked.

"I'm going to be a maintenance supervisor there and free tuition for my children comes with the job," he said proudly.

"What's the name of this school?" I asked, my heart still fluttering.

"Karakura High," he replied.

"Karakura High?" Ulquiorra twisted his mouth up as if he had bitten into a sour apple and frown. "What kind of school is that? In all due respect Father, I decline your invitation of going to this school of fancy people." Ulquiorra refuse. "One thing I do not need is to be surrounded by a bunch of rich, spoiled kids," he added.

"Now, you just hold on their Ulquiorra. You'll go where I tell you to go to school. This here's an opportunity, something very expensive for free too."

"I do no care," he whispers to no one.

"Oh, you don't? Well, you will." Daddy's own eyes shot sparks and I could see he was maintaining his temper. "Whether you like it or not, you are both going to have the best education around, and all for free." Daddy repeated.

Just then we heard the outside door opening and Momma start coming down the hallway. From the sound of her slow, ponderous footsteps, I knew she was exhausted. A sensation of cold fear seized my heart when I heard her pause and break out in one of her fits of coughing. I ran to the doorway and looked at her leaning against the wall.

"Momma!" I cried.

"I'm all right. I'm all right," Momma said, holding her hands up toward me. "I just lost my breath a moment," she explained.

"You sure you're all right, Retsu?" Daddy asked her, his face a face of solid worry.

"I'm all right. There wasn't much to do. had a bunch of her friends over her house. They didn't make any mess to speak of. So, "she said, seeing the way we were standing and looking at her. "What are you all standing around here and looking like that for?"

"I got news, Retsu," Daddy said and smiled. Momma's eyes began to brighten.

"What sort of news?"

"A new job," he said and told her all of it. She sat down on a kitchen chair to catch her breath again, this time from the excitement.

"Oh, children," she exclaimed, "Its wonderful news, it's the best present we could get."

"Yes, Momma," I said, but Ulquiorra looked down.

"Why is Ulqui looking gloom?" Momma asked.

"He doesn't want to go to Karakura High," I said.

"We do not fit in such place." He said with a face of apathy. Suddenly I was so angry at Ulquoirra, I wanted to punch him or scream at him. Momma had been so happy she had looked like her old self for a moment, and here he was making her sad again. I guess he realized it because he took a deep breath and sighed."However it would be sufficient for me to go in such prestige school, I could learn more, I supposed."

"Don't go putting yourself down, Ulquiorra. You'll show them rich kids something yet."

That night I had a hard time falling asleep. I stared through the darkness until my eyes adjusted, and I could faintly see Ulquiorra's face, the usually proud, hard mouth and eyes grown soft now that they were hidden by the night.

"Don't worry about being with rich kids, Ulqui-nee." I said, knowing he was awake beside me. "Just because they're rich doesn't mean they are better than us."

"I never said it did," he said. "However, I know rich peoples. They think it makes them better."

"Don't you think there'll be at least a few kids we can make friends with?" I asked, my fears finally exploding to the surface with his.

"…" he was silent for a moment and said. "Yes, their will be one."

I knew Ulquiorra had to be very worried, normally, he would try to protect me from my own dark side.

Deep down I hoped Daddy wasn't reaching too hard and too far for us.

A little more than a week later Ulquiorra and I had to begin attendance at our new school. The night before I had picked out the nicest dress I had: a cotton dress of turquoise blue with three-quarter sleeves. It was a little wrinkled, so I ironed it and tried to take out the stain I had never noticed in the collar.

"Why are you working so hard on what to wear?" Uqluiorra asked. "I will wear my worn jeans and white polo shirt as always."

"Oh, Ulqui-nee," I pleaded. "Just tomorrow wear your nice pants and the dress shirt."

"I'm not putting on airs for anyone."

"It's not putting on airs to look nice the first day you go to new school, Ulqui-nee. Couldn't you do it this once? For Daddy? For me?" I added.

"It's a waste," he said, but I knew he would do it.

As usual, I was so nervous about entering a new school and meeting new friends, I took forever to fall asleep and had a harder time than usual waking up early. Ulquiorra hated getting up so early, and now he had to get up and get ready earlier than ever because the school was in another part of the city and we had to go with Daddy. It was still quite dark when I rose from my bed. To my surprise Ulquiorra was already a wake.

When we left for school, the city looked so peaceful. The sun had just come up and some of the rays were reflected off store windows. Soon we were in a much finer part of Karakura Town. The houses were bigger and the streets were cleaner. Daddy made a few more turns, and suddenly the city seemed to disappear entirely. We were driving down a country road with farmhouses and fields. And then, just as magical as anything, Karakura High appeared before us.

It didn't look like a school. It wasn't built out of cold brick or cement painted an ugly orange or yellow. Instead, it was a tall white structure that reminded me more of one of the building in Hueco Mundo. It driveway and trees everywhere. I saw a small pond off to the right as well. But it was the building itself that was most impressive.

The front entrance resembled the entrance to a great mansion. There were long, wide steps that led up to the pillars and portico, above which were engraved the word Krakura High School. Although there was a parking lot in front, Daddy had to drive around to the rear of the building, where the employees parked.

When we turned around the corner, we saw the playing field: football field, baseball field, tennis courts, and Olympic size pool.

Daddy pulled into his parking spot and turned off the engine. Then he turned to us, his face somber.

"The principal is an old man," he said. "His name is Mr. Genryusai Shigekuni Yamamoto, and he meets and speaks to every new student who comes here. He's here early, so his waiting in his office for both of you."

"What is he like, Daddy?" I asked.

"He got an eagle's eye that he glues on you when he talks to you. He's a tough person, his one of them blue bloods whose family goes back to the Revolutionary War. I need to take you up there before I get to my work," Daddy said.

We followed Daddy through a rear entrance that took us up a short stairway to the main corridor of the school. The halls were immaculate, not a line of graffiti on a wall. The sunlight came through a corner window making the floors shine.

"Spick and span, right?" Daddy said. "That is my responsibility," he added proudly.

As we walked along, we gazed into the classroom. They were much smaller than any we had seen, but the desks looked big and brand-new. In one of the rooms I saw a young woman with dark brown hear preparing something on the blackboard for her soon-to-arrive class. As we went by, she looked our way and smiled.

Daddy stopped in front of a door marked PRINCIPAL. He quickly brushed back the sides of his hair with the palms of his hands and opened the door. We stepped into a cozy outer office that had a small counter facing the door. There was a black leather sette to the right and a small wooden table in front of it with magazines piled neatly on top. I thought it looked more like a doctor's waiting room than a school principal's. A tall man with white hair appeared at the gate. His white hair was cut in the middle.

"Mr. Schiffer, Mr. Yamamoto has been waiting," he said.

Without a friendly sign in her face, the tall man opened the gate and stepped back for us to walk through to the second door, Mr. Yamamoto inner office. He knocked softly and then opened the door only enough to peer in.

"The Schieffer children are here, Mr. Yamamoto," he said. We heard a rough voice says, "Show them in."

The tall man stepped back and we entered right behind Daddy. Mr. Yamamoto, who wore a dark blue hakama, stood up behind his desk.

"This here is my child, Mr. Yamamoto," Daddy declared.

"I assumed that, Mr. Schiffer. You're late. You know the other children will be arriving shortly."

"We got here as soon as we could, sir. I –"

"Never mind. Please be seated," he said to us and indicated the chairs in front of his desk. Daddy stood back. When I looked at him, I saw a cold sharpness in his eyes. He was holding back his anger.

"Should I stay?" he asked.

"Of course, Mr. Schiffer. I like the parents to be present when I explain to student the philosophies of the School, so everyone understands. I was hoping your mother would be able to come as well," he said to us.

Ulquiorra glared back at him. I could feel the tension in his body.

"Our Momma's not feeling well yet, sir," I said. "And we have a baby sister she has to mind."

"Yes. Be that as it may," Mr. Yamamoto said and sat down himself. "I trust you will take back to her everything I tell you anyway. Now then," He said looking at some paper before him on his desk. Everything on it was neatly arranged. "Your name is Orihime?"

"Yes, sir."

"Very well, and you are Ulquiorra?"

"Yes." He said.

"I'll come right to the point. I know you children haven't had the same upbringing and advantages the rest of my students have had, and I imagine it will take you two a little longer to fit in. However, I expect that very shortly you two will adjust and conduct yourselves like Karakura High students are supposed to conduct themselves. You will address all your teachers as either sir or ma'am. You will come to school dressed neatly and be clean. Never challenge a command. I have a copy of our rules here, and I expect both of you to read and commit them all to memory."

He turned toward Ulquiorra.

"We don't tolerate bad language, fighting or disrespect in any form or manner. We expect students to treat each other with respect too. We frown on tardiness and loitering, and we will not stand for any sort of vandalism when it comes to our beautiful building. Very soon you will realize how lucky you are to be here. Which brings me to my final point: in a real sense, you two are guests. The rest of the student body pays a handsome fee to be able to attend this school. The board of trustees has made it possible for you two to attend because of your father. Therefore you have an added responsibility to behave and be credit to our school. Am I understood?"

"Yes, sir," I said quickly. Ulquiorra glared at him with defiance. I held my breath, hoping he wouldn't say anything nasty.

"Ulquiorra?"

"I understand," he said in a somber tone.

"Very well," he said and sat back. "Mr. Schiffer, you may resume your duties. You two will go out to Sasakibe who will provide you with your class schedules and assign a locker to each of you." He stood up abruptly and Ulquiorra and I stood up too. He stared at us a moment longer and then nodded. Daddy started out first.

"Ulquiorra," he called just as we reached the door. He and I turned back. "You may have the most handsome face in this school, but it would be nice if you shined your shoes. Remember, we are often judged by our appearance." Ulquiorra didn't reply. He walked out ahead of me.

"I'll try to get him to do it sir," I said. He nodded and closed the door behind me.

"I need to go to work now," Daddy said and then left the office quickly.

"Well" Ulquiorra said "Welcome to Karakura High. Do you still think this place is nice and peaceful? If you will ask me, then it's the opposite around."

I swallowed hard, my heart was pounding.

"I think he is that way with every new student, Ulqui-nee."

"You presumed things too much," he said.

And we both walk to our perspective classroom.

**To Be Continue…**

**A-10-tion: **Well that's it. So, how do you guys like my new chap? And to answer nypsy's question.. Yes, it has a vibes of taboo (it makes more exciting, don't ya think?). But it didn't bother you right? You almost got me there with your guessing of the plot. However I'll put some ups and down twist of faith. So you guys just stay put and enjoy the story. Nypsy, thank you so much for the wonderful review, I highly appreciated it : ] See you next chap!


	4. IV: Always A Stranger

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Bleach or any of its characters

"**Orihime"**

The more I travel

The more I realized that fears makes

Stranger of people who

Should be friend.

**Chapter IV: Always A Stranger**

The first day at a new school was never easy, but Mr. Yamamoto had made it harder for us. I couldn't get the trembles out of my body as Ulquiorra and I left the principal's office with our schedules. In some schools the principal assigned a big brother and a big sister to help us get started and find our way around, but here in Karakura High we were thrown out to sink or swim on our own.

We weren't halfway down the main corridor when doors began to open and students began to enter. They came in laughing and talking, acting like any other students we had seen, only how they were dressed!

All of the girls had on expensive-looks, beautiful winter coats made of the softest wool I had ever seen. Some of the coats even had fur trim on the collars. The boys all wore navy blue jackets and ties and khaki-colored slacks and the girls wore pretty dresses or skirts and blouses. Everyone's clothes looked new. They were all dressed as if this were their first day, too, only it wasn't. They were in their regular everyday school clothes!

Ulquiorra and I stopped in our tracks and stared, and when the students saw us, they stared, too, some very curious, some looking with awe, especially the girls, I know they're looking at Ulquiorra, and then some of them, laughing to each other. They moved about in small clumps of friends. Most had been brought to the school in shiny clean buttercup-yellow buses, but we could see from gazing out the opening doors that some of the older students drove to school in their own fancy cars.

No one came over to introduce him or herself. When they approached us, they went to one side or the other, parting around us as if we were contagious. I tried smiling at this girl or that, but none really smiled back. In my brother's case, all the girls are staring at her but never intend to approach him. I think they're too shy or scared to introduce themselves. And Ulquiorra just glared. Soon we were at the center of a pool of laughter and noise.

I looked at the papers that told us the times for the class periods and realized we had to move along if weren't going to be late the very first day. In fact, just as we got our lockers opened and hung up our coats, the bell rang to signal that every one had to go to homeroom.

"Good luck, Ulqui-nee," I said when I left him at the beginning of the corridor.

"Likewise," he replied and sauntered off.

Homeroom at Karakura High was the same as it was anywhere else. My homeroom teacher, Ms. Misato Ochi, is a young woman with glasses, and a brown hair. She held a book in her hands and tapped it on her desk every time someone's voice went over a whisper or she had something to say. All of the students looked up at her attentively, their hands folded on their desks. When I entered, every head turned my way. It made me feel like I was a magnet and their heads and bodies were made of iron. Ms. Ochi took my schedule sheet. She read it, pressed her lips together, and entered my name in his roll book. Then she tapped her book again.

"Boys and girls, I'd like to introduce you to a new student. Her name is Orihime Inoue Schiffer. Orihime-san, I'm Ms. Misato Ochi. Welcom to 10Y and to Karakura High. You can take the next to last seat in the second row. And Sorimachi, make sure your feet aren't on the back of her chair," she warned.

The students look at Sorimachi, a small boy with a yellow headband on his brown hair and an impish grin. There was some tittering as he straightened in his seat. I thanked Ms. Ochi and walked back to sit at my desk. Every one's eyes were still on me. A girl wearing a thick red-framed glass across from me offered me a smile of welcome. I smiled back. She had a short bright red hair and a fair complexion.

When I finally take my sit, the bell rang to begin the first-period class.

"Hi,"

The girl with the red hair said. "I'm Chizuru Honsho." When she stood next to me, I realized how petite she was. She had a long bony nose and thin lips, but her timid eyes held more warmth than anyone else's had yet at this school. "What do you have first?" she asked.

"Phys ed," I said.

"Ms. Kukaku Shiba?"

I looked at my schedule card.

"Yes."

"Good. You're in my class. Let me see your schedule," she added, practically ripping it out of my hand."Oh, you're in a lot of my classes. You'll have to tell me all about yourself, who your parents are and where you live. What a nice dress. It must be your favorite; you look like you're wearing it out. Where did you go to school before? Do you know anyone here yet?" She fired one question after another at me before we even reached the door. I just shook my head and smiled.

"Come on," Chizuru said, urging me along.

From the way the other girls ignored Chizuru as we passed through the corridor to our first class, I gathered that she wasn't very popular. It was always hard to break the ice in a new school, but usually there were cracks to find. Here, the ice around me seemed solid, except for Chizuru, who talked a streak from homeroom to our first class.

By the time we reached the gymnasium, I knew that she was very good in math and science and only fair in history and English. Her daddy was a lawyer in a family firm that went back just ages and ages, and she had two brothers and sister who were still in grade school.

"Ms. Shiba's office is over there," Chizuru said, pointing. "She'll assign you a locker and give you a gym suit and a towel for your shower." With that, she hurried off to change.

Ms. Shiba was a tall woman about thirty years old. "All the girls must take showers after class," she insisted as she handed me a towel. I nodded. "Come on," she said. She looked stern as we walked toward the locker room. The loud chatter eased up when we entered, and all the girls turned our way. It was a mixed class with girls from three different grades. Chizuru was already in her uniform.

"Girls, I would like you all to meet a new student, Orihime Inoue Schiffer. Let's see," Ms. Shiba said, "your locker is over there" – she pointed across the room – "next to Rangiku Kurosaki."

I gazed at the blond girl with a pretty face and figure who was standing at the center of a small clique. None of them were in uniform yet. Ms. Shiba's eyes narrowed as she led me across the locker room.

"What taking you girls so long?" she asked and then sniffed. "I smell liquor. Have you girls been drinking?" she demanded with her hands on her hips. They all looked at one another anxiously. Then I saw some glittering stuff coming out of the locker.

"It's not an alcohol, Ms. Shiba-san," I said. "Look."

Ms. Shiba squinted and moved to the locker quickly.

"Rangiku! Open the locker immediately," she demanded.

Rangiku sauntered over to it and worked the combination. When she opened it, Ms. Shiba made her stand back. There was an empty bottle of liquor on the shelf.

"I don't know how that got in there," Rangiku said, her eyes wide with what was obviously fake amazement.

"Oh, you don't, don't you?"

"I'm not the one drinking it. You can't say I'm drinking," Rangiku protested haughtily.

Ms. Shiba lifted the bottle out of the locker, holding it between her forefinger and thumb as though it were a cylinder of disease.

"Behold, girls," she said, "a bottle of wine who empties itself."

There was some giggling. Rangiku looked very uncomfortable.

"All right, everyone get dressed and quickly. Miss Kurosaki, you and I will have a talk about this later," she said, then pivoted and left the locker. The moment she was gone, Rangiku came at me, her face red and bloated with anger.

"You stupid!" she screamed. "Why did you tell her?"

"I thought it was –"I explained.

"Stop! Explaining it won't change anything! Gah! Now you got me in trouble."

"I'm sorry, I. . ."

I looked around. All the girls were glaring at me. "I didn't mean it Honest. I thought I was helping you."

"Helping?" She shook her head. "You helped me into trouble, that's what you did."

Everyone nodded and the group broke up so everyone could finish dressing. I looked to Chizuru, but even she turned away. Afterward, the girls were very standoffish in the gym. Every chance she got, Rangiku glared hatefully at me. I tried to explain again, but she wasn't interested.

When Ms. Shiba blew the whistle to end the period and send us to the showers, I tried to get Rangiku's attention.

"You got her in trouble," was all she would say.

Here I was only an hour or so in a new school and already I had made enemies when all I wanted to do was make some new friends. As soon as I saw Rangiku, I apologized again, making it sound as sincere as I could.

"It's all right," Rangiku suddenly said. "I shouldn't have blamed you. I just lost my temper. It was my own fault."

"Really, I wouldn't have pointed out the glittering stuff if I'd thought you were drinking. I don't tattletale."

"I believe you. Girls," she said to those nearest, "we shouldn't blame Orihime. That's your name, right? Orihime?"

"Uh-huh."

"Do you have any brothers or sisters?"

"A brother," I said quickly.

"Oh. I think his as dense as you are no?" a tall beautiful girl with dark hair asked. Everyone laughed

"We better get moving or we're going to be late for our next class," Rangiku announced. It was easy to see that many of the girls looked up to her as a leader. I couldn't believe I'd had the bad luck to begin by getting her in trouble. Of all the girls to get in trouble, I thought, and breathed a sigh of relief, grateful for her forgiveness. I took off my gym uniform quickly and followed everyone to the showers. They were nice showers, clean stalls with flower print shower curtains, and the water was warm too.

"You better get a move on in there," I heard Ms. Shiba call.

I stepped out of the shower and wiped myself dry as quickly as I could. Then I wrapped the towel around my body and rushed to my locker. It was wide open. Had I forgotten to lock it? I wondered. I discovered the answer very quickly. Except for my shoes, all my clothes were gone.

"Where are my clothes?" I cried. I turned around. All the girls were looking my way and smiling. Rangiku was standing by the sink, brushing her hair.

"Please. This isn't funny. Those are my best clothes."

That made everyone laugh. I looked to Chizuru, but she turned away quickly, slammed her locker shut, and hurried out of the locker room. Soon everyone but me was leaving.

"Please!" I cried. "Who knows where my clothes are?"

"They're being washed," someone called back.

"Washed? What does that mean? Washed?"

I spun around, the towel still tucked in over my body. I was alone in the locker room. The bells were ringing. What was I going to do?

I started looking everywhere, under benches, in corners, but I found nothing until I went into the bathroom and checked the stalls.

"Oh, no!" I cried. They had thrown my clothes into the toilet. There was my pretty dress, my bra, and my panties, even my socks, soaking with the toilet paper floating around it all for good measure. And the water was discolored. Someone had urinated in there, too!

"Who's left in here?" I heard Ms Shiba ask.

"It's me," I bawled. She stepped into the bathroom.

"Well, what are you. . . "

I pointed down at the toilet, and she gazed into the stall.

"Oh, no . . . who did this?"

"I don't know, Ms. Shiba-san."

"I don't have any trouble guessing," she said sternly.

"What will I do?"

She thought a moment, shaking her head.

"Fish them out and we'll put them in the washer and dryer with the towels. In the meantime, you will have to wear your gym uniform."

"To classes?"

"There's nothing else you can do, Orihime. I'm sorry."

"But . . . everyone will laugh at me."

"It's up to you. You will miss a few classes by the time this is all washed and dried out. I'll go to see Mr. Yamamoto and explain what happened."

I nodded and lowered to put on my gym uniform.

As the morning went on, I found most of my teachers to kind and sympathetic once they heard what had happened, but the rest of the students thought it was very funny, and everywhere I looked I found them smiling and laughing at me. It was always hard to face new students whenever I went to a new school, but here, before I even got a chance to meet anyone and anyone got a chance to know me, I was the laughingstock.

When Ulquiorra saw me in the hallway and I told him what had happened, he was quietly angry.

I could feel the outraged of her anger toward those people who bullied me, though he hides it perfectly in his stoic façade.

"What did I tell you about this place?" he said to me. "I'd like to know who did this, so I can get my hand to this idiotic person."

"It's all right, Ulqui-nee," I said, trying to calm him down. "I'll be all right. After the next class my clothes should be washed and dried." I didn't mention the fact that my dress would be wrinkled and need ironing. I didn't want him to get any angrier than he was.

The warning bell for the next class rang.

Ulquiorra stared poisonous dagger at the students who were staring at us that most turned their heads away as they rushed to get to class.

"I'll be all right, Ulqui-nee," I insisted again before starting toward my math class.

"I want your full cooperation regarding on this situation, Orihime. I want to know who did this uncivilized thing to you." He said it to me.

As soon as I entered class, the teacher called me to his desk.

"You're Orihime Inoue Schiffer, I assume," he said.

"Yes, sir." I looked at the class, and of course, all the students were looking at me, smiles on their faces.

"Well, we'll introduce ourselves later. Mr. Yamamoto wants to see you immediately," he said.

"The Schiffer girl is here," Mr. Yamamoto secretary announced as I entered the reception room. I heard Mr. Yamamoto say, "Send her in." The secretary stepped back and I entered.

Mr. Yamamoto gaze was icy as he asked me to explain what had happened.

With my stomach jumping up and down and my voice shaking, I told her how I had come out of the shower and found my clothing in the toilet.

"Why would anyone do that to a new girl?" he asked. I didn't respond. I didn't want to get into any more trouble with the other girls, and I knew that was exactly what would happen if I mentioned the empty bottle of wine.

But he knew already!

"You don't have to explain. Ms. Shiba told me how you turned in Rangiku Kurosaki for drinking of liquor."

"I didn't turn her in. I saw something glittering from the locker and –"

"Now, listen to me," Mr. Yamamoto ordered, leaning over his desk. "The other students at this school have been brought up in fine homes and have a head start on how to get along with other people. But that doesn't mean I will allow you and your brother to come in here and disrupt everything. Do you understand?"

"Yes, sir," I said hoarsely, tears choking me. Coldly Mr. Yamamoto eyed me and shook his head.

"Going around to class in a gym uniform," he muttered. "You march right out of here and go directly to the laundry and wait for your clothing to be washed and dried."

"Yes, sir."

"Go on. Get dressed and back to your classes as soon as possible," he commanded with a wave of his hand.

I hurried out, wiping the tears away as I ran through the hallway and down to the laundry. When I put on my dress again, it was so wrinkled it looked like I had been sitting on it. But there was nothing I could do.

I hurried up to make my English class. When I got there several student looked disappointed to see me in regular clothing again. Only Chizuru looked relieved. When our gazes met, she smiled and then looked away quickly. At least for now, my ordeal had ended.

After English class, Chizuru caught up with me at the doorway.

"I'm sorry they did that to you!" she cried. "I just want you to know I wasn't part of it."

"Thank you."

"I should have warned you right away about Rangiku. For some reason most of the girls do what she tells them to."

"If she did this, it was a very mean thing to do. I told her I was sorry."

"Rangiku always gets her way," Chizuru said."Maybe she won't bother you anymore. Come on, I'll go with you to lunch."

"Thank you," I said. A few other students said hello to me and smiled, but for the most part Chizuru was the only raft for me to cling to in unfamiliar waters.

The cafeteria was fancier than any I'd ever seen. Here the seats and tables looked plush and comfortable. The walls were painted light blue, and the tiled floor was an off-white. The students picked up their trays and silverware at an area just before the serving counter and proceeded to the awaiting cashier.

I saw Rangiku Kurosaki sitting with some of the other girls from our gym class. They all laughed when they set eyes on me.

"Let's sit over there," Chizuru said, indicating an empty table away from them.

"Just a minute," I said and marched up to Rangiku's table. The girls all turned in surprise.

"Hi, Orihime-chan," Rangiku said, with a cat-who-has-eaten-the-canary look on her spiteful face."Shouldn't you have ironed that?"

Everyone laughed.

"I don't know why you did this to me," I fired back in a hard voice as I eyed them all coldly. "But it was a terrible thing to do to someone, especially someone who has just entered your school."

"Who told you I did?" she demanded.

"No one told me. I know."

The girls stared. Rangiku's big blue eyes narrowed to slits and then widened with an apparent softness.

"All right, Orihime," she said in a voice of amnesty. "I guess we broke you into Karakura High. You're forgiven," she said with a queenly gesture. "In fact, you may sit here, if you like. You, too, Chizuru," she added.

"Thank you," I said. I was determined to mend fences and not disrupt Mr. Yamamoto's precious little school. Chizuru and I took the two empty seats.

"This is Mizuho Asano," Rangiku said, indicating the tall girl with soft, dark brown hair that ties up in a ponytail with a purple hairpiece. She has slightly thick eyebrows and brown eyes. "And this is Ryo Kunieda,Kyoko Haida, and Yoshino Soma.

I nodded at all of them and wondered if I was the only girl in the school without a formal middle name.

"Did you just move here?" Rangiku asked. "You're not a sleep-over, I know."

"Sleep over?"

"Students who stay in the dorms," Chizuru expalained.

"Oh. No, I live in Karakuran Town. Do you sleep over, Chizuru?"

"No, but Mizuho -san and Rangikun-san do. I'm going to get my lunch," Chizuru declared and then pulled herself up. "Coming Orihime-chan?"

"I just need to get a container of milk," I said, putting my lunch bag on the table.

"What's that?" Mizuho asked.

"My lunch. I have a peanut butter and jelly sandwich." I opened my purse and found my m milk money.

"You made your own lunch?" Rangiku asked. "Why would you do that?"

"It saves money."

Mizuho stared at me, her watery, pale blue eyes blinking as she struggled to understand.

"Save money? Why do you want to save money? Did your parents cut off your allowance?" Mizuho inquired.

"I don't have an allowance. Momma gives me money for milk, but other than that . . . "

"Money for milk?" Mizuho laughed and looked at Rangiku. "What does your father do, anyway?"

"He works here. He's a maintenance supervisor."

"Maintenance?" Mizuho gasped. "You mean . . . he's a janitor?" her eyes widened when I nodded.

"Uh-huh. Because he works here, my brother, Ulqui-nee and I get to go to Karakura High."

The girls turned to each other and suddenly laughed.

"A janitor," Rangiku said, as though she couldn't believe it. They laughed again. "I think we'll let Chizuru and Orihime-chan have this table," she purred. Rangiku lifted her tray and stoop up. Mizuho and the others followed suit and started away.

"I didn't know your father was a janitor here," Mizuho said.

"You never gave me a chance to tell you. He's a supervisor because he's very good at fixing and maintaining all sort of engines and motors," I said proudly.

"How nice." She looked around and then slipped her hands around her books and lifted them off the table. "Oh! I just remembered. I have talk to Momo-chan. We have a science project to do together. I'll see you later." She said quickly and walked across the cafeteria to another table. The girls there didn't seem so happy to greet her, but she sat down anyway. She pointed at me and they all laughed.

They were snubbing me because they thought I was beneath them just because Daddy was the janitor. Ulquiorra was right, I thought. Rich kids were spoiled and horrible. I glared back at them defiantly, even though tears burned like fire under my eyelids. I rose and walked proudly to the lunch line to get some milk.

I looked around for Ulquiorra, hoping that he had been luckier than me and had made at least one friend by now, but I didn't see him anywhere. I returned to my table and began to unfold my bag when I heard someone say, "There any free seats here?"

I looked up at one of the handsomest boys I had ever seen. He has spiky hair, rich color orange like mine. The color of his hair is like the sunset, just enough to be perfect. His eyes were chest nut brown and they sparkled with laughter. His nose was straight and neither too long nor too narrow, nor too thick. He was just a little taller than Ulquiorra, but he had wider shoulder and stood straight and confidently. When I looked more closely at him, I saw that just like me, he had this aura of kindness and caring,

"They're all free." I said.

"Really? Can't imagine why," he said and sat down across from me. He extended his hand. "My name's Ichigo Kurosaki," he said.

"Kurosaki?" I pulled my hand back quickly.

"What's wrong?" His brown eyes sparkled wickedly. "Don't tell me some of those catty girls have warned you against me already?"

"No . . ." I turned and looked at the table of girls with Rangiku at the center. They were all looking our way.

"I. . . your sister . . ."

"Oh, her. What'd she do?" His gaze darkened as he glanced back their way. I saw how it infuriated Rangiku.

"She . . . blames me for getting her in trouble this morning in gym class. I . . . didn't you see me walking through the school in my gym uniform?"

"Oh, that was you? So you're the famous new girl – Orihime. I did hear about you, but I was so busy this morning, I didn't catch sight of you."

The way he smiled made me wonder if he was lying. Did Rangiku put him up to this?

"You're probably the only one in the school who didn't," I said. "I was even called down to the principle office and bawled out, even though it wasn't my fault."

"That doesn't surprise me. Old Yamamoto thinks he's a prison warden instead of a principle. That's why we call him Chief Yama."

"Chief?" I had to smile. It fit.

"And all this was my bratty sister's fault, huh?" He shook his head. "That figures, too."

"I've tried to make friends, apologize, but . . ." I glared at the girls. "They all turned on me when they found out what my father does."

"What's he do - rob banks?"

"He might as well for all they would care," I shot back. "Especially, your sister."

"Forget her," Ichigo advised. "You can't let my sister get to you. She's a spoiled brat. She deserves whatever she gets. Where are you from?"

"Many places. Before Karakura Town, Hueco Mundo, Las Noches."

"Las Noches? I've never been there. Was it nice?"

"No," I said. He laughed, his teeth white and perfect. He looked at my bag and sandwich. "A bag lunch?"

"Yes," I said, anticipating his ridicule, too. But he surprised me.

"What do you have?"

"Peanut butter and jelly."

"Looks a lot thicker than the peanut butter sandwiches they give you here. Maybe I'll get you to bag me a lunch, too," he said. He looked serious about it for a moment, and then he laughed at my expression. "My sister is the biggest busybody here. She loves snooping in other people's business and then spreading rumors."

I studied him for a moment. Was he saying these things just to win my confidence or did he really mean it? I couldn't imagine Ulquiorra speaking so hatefully about me.

"What grade are you in?" I asked, trying to change the subject.

"Eleventh. I got my driver's license this year and my own car. How would you like to go for a ride with me after school?" he asked quickly.

"A ride?"

"Sure. I'll show you the sights," he added.

"Thank you," I said. "But I can't"

"Why not? I'm a good driver," he pursued.

"I . . . have to meet my father after school."

"Well, maybe tomorrow, then. Hey," he said when I hesitated, searching for another excuse," I'm perfectly harmless, no matter what you've heard."

"I haven't – "I broke off in confusion and felt my cheeks start to burn.

He laughed.

"You take everything so serious. Your parents gave you the right name. You're definitely as beautiful as the princess in a castle, too fresh as the birth of a new day," he said. I blushed even harder and looked down at my sandwich.

"So do you stay in the dorms or live nearby?" he asked.

"I live on the Street near by."

"Which street? Sorry I'm not from Karakura Town though. Soul Society."

"Oh, I never been there. I heard it's very pretty there," I said and bit into my sandwich.

"It is. My family owns a hotel and a clinic there," he said sitting back proudly.

"Your family is rich." I said.

"Yeah. Anyway, what does your father do, Orihime-san?

"He works here," I said and thought, here we go again.

"Here? He's a teacher? And you let me say all those things about Chief and –"

"No, no. He's a maintenance supervisor," I said quickly.

"Oh." Ichigo smile and released a sigh of relief. "I'm glad of that," he said.

"You are?" I couldn't help sounding surprised.

"Yes. The two girls I know here whose fathers or brother are teachers are the biggest snobs – Lisa Yadōmaru and Nanao Ise. Ignore them at all costs," he advised.

Just then I saw Ulquiorra come in. He was walking all by himself. He stopped in the doorway and gazed around. When he saw me, he flashed a look of surprise at the sight of Ichigo as well. Then he headed quickly to my table. He slapped his bag on top of the table and sit next to me.

"Hi," Ichigo said. "How's it going?"

"So far, my day is full of boredom," Ulquiorra said coldly. "My troublesome classmate keeps me for a while, forcing me to teach them some mathematic equations, stating that they will need my technique for tomorrows quiz. I thought they would keep me there right through lunch." He stopped and stared at me. "I sneak out in order for me to be with you."He stared back at Ichogo and said "So what business do you want with my sister?"

I can feel Ichigo's confusion and annoyance, the both of them stared for a second or so.

"This is Ichigo Kurosaki," I said. "Kurosaki-kun, my brother Ulquiorra Schiffer."

"Hi," Ichigo said, extending his hand. Ulquiorra looked at it suspiciously a moment and then shook quickly.

"Did you make any friends yet, Ulqui-nee?" I asked hopefully.

He shook his head.

"I need to get my drink now, if you'll excuse me." He got up quickly and went to the lunch line. The boys in front of him looked nervous when he approached.

"Ulquiorra's not overjoyed about being here, I gather," Ichigo said, looking his way.

"No, he's not. Maybe he's right," I added.

Ichigo smiled.

"You've got the clearest, prettiest eyes I've ever seen. The only one whose eyes come close is my mother."

I felt myself blushing from my neck to my feet. I was absolutely beguiled by his flattering words, by the admiring look in his eyes. For a moment I couldn't speak. I had to shift my eyes away while I took another bite of my sandwich. I chewed quickly and swallowed, then turned back to him.

Some boys passing by said hello to him and then looked at me curiously. Finally two of his friends flopped down beside him.

"Aren't you going to introduce us to your famous friend, Ichigo?" asked the tall boy with red pineapple hair. He had a crooked smile that brought the corner of his mouth up.

"Not if I can help it," Ichigo said.

"Aw, come on. Ichigo likes to keep everything to himself," the red hair boy told me. "Very selfish guy."

"My name is Orihime Inoue Schiffer," I said quickly.

"Orihime. You mean like the princess in the tall castle with a dragon?" He and his companion laughed hard.

"I'm Renji Abari," the red hair boy finally said. "And this boy beside me is Ishida." The boy with eyeglass only nodded. His eyes were very close together and he had his dark navy blue hair. He wore a smirk, rather than a smile. I recalled Momma once telling me never to trust anyone whose eyes were too close together. She said their mommas, just before giving birth, must have been surprised by snakes.

Ulquiorra returned and Ichigo introduced him to the other boys, but he sat quietly eating his sandwich. Ichigo was the only one who would talk to him, Ulquiorra obviously didn't care. I saw from the way he looked at Ishida from time to time that he didn't like much, either.

The bell rang to end the lunch period.

"Going to gym class?" Rengi asked Ichigo. "Or do you have other plans?" he added, gazing at me and smiling. I knew what he meant, but I tried to look like I didn't understand.

"I'll meet you," Ichigo said.

"Don't be late," Ishida quipped, speaking out of the corner of his mouth. The two boys went off, laughing.

"Where are you heading, Inoue-san?" Ichigo asked.

"Music."

"Good. I'll walk along with you. It's on the way to my gym class," he said. We started away from the table. When I looked to the side, I saw how Rangiku and her friends were staring at us and whispering. They looked so hateful. Why? I wondered. Why did they have to be this way?

"Where's your next class, Ulqui-nee?" I asked.

"I need to go the other way," he said and scurried off before I could say a word. He elbowed his way through the corridors and disappeared quickly.

"Have you been going to this school all your life?" I asked. Ichigo nodded. As we went along, I noticed many girls and boys nod and say hello to Ichigo. He was obviously very popular.

"May sister and I even attended the kindergarten associated with it." He leaned toward me. "My parents and my grandmother make sizable contributions to the school," he added, but he didn't sound arrogant about it. It was just a statement of fact.

"Oh." Everyone around me seemed so sophisticated and so wealthy. Ulquiorra had been right. We were like fish out of water. My daddy only worked here, and what would I wear tomorrow? What would Ulquiorra wear? If we stood out like sore thumbs now, what would be happen tomorrow?

"We both better get a move on before we're thrown to Chief," he said and smiled. "Think about going for a ride with me tomorrow, okay?"

I nodded. When I looked back, I saw Rangiku and her friends walking slowly behind us. Rangiku looked very unhappy about the attention her brother was giving me. Maybe he was sincere. He was so handsome and I felt like doing something to annoy her.

"Great." He squeezed my arm gently and walked off, turning once to smile back. I returned a smile making sure Rangiku could see, and then I entered the music suite just as the bell beginning the class rang.

**To Be Continue. . .**

**A-10-tion: **Hello! Sorry for the late up! I'll make up to you guys. And thanks for the reviews and alert! I highly appreciated it**.  
**


	5. IV:A Kiss

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Bleach or any of its characters.

"**Hime"**

When I saw you,

I was afraid to meet you,

When I meet you

I was afraid to kiss you,

When I kissed you,

I was afraid to love you,

Now that I love you

I was afraid to loss you.

**Chapter IV: A Kiss**

My music teacher, Mr. Jushiro Ukitake**, **is a tall man and hair as white as the snow. He had the sweetest disposition of any of my teachers I had met so far, and when he smiled, it was a smile full of warmth and sincerity. I saw that shy students shed their bashfulness when he coaxed them and willingly stood up to sing a few notes solo. He walked around the classroom with his tuning harmonica teaching us the scales, explaining notes, making music more interesting than even I imagined it could be. When he got to me, he paused and twitched his nose like a squirrel. His hazel brown eyes brightened.

"And now for a new voice," he said. "Orihime-san, can you sing Do, re, mi, fa, so, la, ti, do? I'll give you a start," he began, bringing his harmonica to his lips, but I started before he had a chance to toot. His eyes widened and his bushy black eyebrows lifted. "Well, now, a discovery. That's the best rendition of the scales cold I have heard in years," he said. "Wasn't that perfect, boys and girls?" he asked the class. When I looked around, I saw a sea of faces full of envy. Chizuro was especially jealous of the compliment Mr. Ukitake had given me. Her face was lime. "I think we might have found our solo singer for our next concert," Mr. Ukitake mused aloud, squeezing his chin between his right forefinger and thumb as he looked at me and nodded. "Have you been in chorus before, Orihime-san?"

"Yes, sir."

"And do you play an instrument of any kind?" he inquired.

"I have been teaching myself the guitar."

"Teaching yourself?" He looked around the classroom. "Now, that's motivation, boys and girls. Well, we're going to have to see how far along you've come. If you're very good, you can put me out of a job," he said.

"I'm not very good, sir," I said.

He laughed, and said. "There're something refreshing," speaking to the rest of the class, "modesty. Ever wonder what that was, boys and girls?" He laughed at his own joke and went on with the day's lesson. When the bell ending the period rang, he asked me to remain a moment.

"Bring your guitar in with you tomorrow, Orihime-san. I'd like to hear you play," he said, his face serious and determined.

"I don't have a very good guitar, sir. It's second hand and – "

"Now, now. Don't you be ashamed of it, and don't let any of the students here make you feel that way. I have an idea that it's a lot better than you think anyway. Besides, I can supply you with a very good guitar when the time comes."

"Thank you, sir," I said. He sat back in his seat and contemplated me a moment.

"I know the students are supposed to call their teachers sir and ma'am," he said. "But when we're working alone, could you manage to call me Mr. Ukitake or Jushiro?"

I smiled.

"I'll try."

"Good. I'm glad you're here, Orihime-san. Welcome to Karakura High. Now you better hurry off to your next class."

"Thank you, Ukitake-san," I said and he smiled.

I started for my next class, but stopped when I saw Chizuro waiting for me.

"Hi," I said, seeing she wanted to be friends again. But that wasn't her first concern.

"I saw Ichigo Kurosaki sitting with you at lunch," she said, unable to hide the note of jealousy. "You'd better be careful. He's got a bad reputation with girls," she said, but her voice was still filled with envy.

"A bad reputation? He seems very nice. A lot different from his sister," I said pointedly. "What do they say that's so bad?"

"It's what he wants to do, even on a first date," she replied, her eyes big.

"What does he want to do?" l asked. She stepped back.

"What do you think?" She looked to the side to be sure no one could overhear. "He wants to go all the way."

"Did you go out with him?"

"No," she said, her eyes wide. "Never."

I shrugged.

"I don't think you should let people decide what you should and should not think about someone. You should decide for yourself. Besides, it's not fair to Kurosaki-kun." I added, his dazzling brown eyes still hovering in my thoughts.

Chizuro shook her hand. "Don't say I didn't warn you," she advised.

"At least he didn't make me sit alone at lunch." My point, like an accurate arrow, hit the bull's eye.

"I'm sorry I left you . . . can we have lunch together tomorrow?" she asked.

"Probably," I said, without sounding very definite about it. I was still feeling the scratches she and her catty friends had drawn across my heart. But that satisfied her enough to give me the benefit of another warning.

"If you think Rangiku Kurosaki doesn't like you now, wait until she hears what Mr. Ukitake-san said."

"What do you mean?"

"She thinks she's going to sing the solo at the concert. She did last year," Chizuro said and punctured my balloon of happiness just as it was starting to inflate.

At the end of the school day I met Ulquiorra in the lobby. He was very unhappy because his math teacher had said she thought he was too a head of the class, and he might transfer to the advance class.

"That would be nice, Ulqui-nee." I chastised softly.

"Who cares?" he replied, but I could see he was upset.

While we were talking, all the other students were hurrying out to catch buses or get into their cars. Those who slept in the dorms sauntered out slowly.

"All these rich people had money to burn," Ulquiorra muttered, seeing some of them heading for their own cars. "Come, Let us see how long we have to wait for Father." He said, heading toward the stairway.

I followed Ulquiorra down to the basement where Daddy's office was. There was a workroom right next to Daddy's office, which wasn't a big office, but he did have a nice wooden desk and two chairs in it. There were shelves on the walls and a large, hanging light in a dark blue metal shade draped at the end of a wire and chain just over the desk.

Ulquiorra sat down behind Daddy's desk. I brought the other chair closer and opened my textbooks to begin doing some of my homework. Thoughts about the day whirled confusingly through my brain, and when I looked up, I caught Ulquiorra staring at me.

"Did you ever find out who did those idiotic acts to you?" he asked.

"No, Ulqui-nee," I lied. "Let's just forget about it. It was all a misunderstanding." I didn't want him getting into trouble on account of me.

"Misunderstanding?" he whispered. "As what I observe, almost all of the people in this infamous school tend to patronized themselves, they have this air of self-satisfied superiority and despises those in a lower class. All they talk about are their cars and cloths, how ignorant of them. And how come that guy named Ichigo Kurosaki was sitting with you in the cafeteria?" he asked.

"Kurosaki-kun? He came over and asked if any of the seats were free," I said, making it sound like nothing, when all along I had thought it wonderful. "When he found out they all were, he sat down."

"Strange. He was like the opposite of him. He became so friendly so fast. Why is that?" Ulquiorra eyes grew small as his mind worked overtime.

"He's just being nice." I myself had been unsure about trusting Rangiku's brother, but for some reason I had to defend Ichigo to Ulquiorra. Ichigo was the only friendly soul at this school so far. I thought of his full lips curving into a lopsided smile and his brown eyes holding my own gaze hypnotically as he'd asked me to ride in his car. Just remembering made me shiver a little.

"I do not trust this Ichigo," Uqluiorra suddenly concluded. He nodded, confirming his theory. "This all might be part of some ridiculous prank. There is also the possibility of a game, where in somebody made a bet with him that he could not get you to like him right away. What if he does something to embarrass you?"

"Oh, that can't be true, Ulqui-nee. He's too nice to do anything like that!" I cried a little too desperately.

"If I'm right. If he hurts you," he added, "he will have to deal with me."

I smiled to myself, thinking how good it was to have a brother who was so protective.

Just then Daddy appeared in the doorway. Unlike the end of his day's work at all of his other jobs, Daddy didn't look tired and dirty. His hands were as clean as they had been in the morning, and there were no smudges on his clothes.

I waited, holding my breath, expecting that by now he had found out about the gym class incident, but if he did know, he didn't say a word. And he didn't seem to notice how wrinkled my dress was.

"So?" he said. "How did your day go, kids?" He shot a very quick smile at me and stroked my hair for the most fleeting moment.

I glanced at Ulquiorra. We had decided we wouldn't tell Daddy what had happened to me, but all of a sudden I longed to bury my face in his chest and while safe in his arms cry a waterfall of tears. Even with the memories of Ichigo and music class to warm me, most of the day had been awful, now it was a blur of laughing face swimming before my eyes. I knew I couldn't tell him, though – Daddy's temper was fiery and unpredictable. What if he said something and got fired or even worse – what if Mr. Yamamoto convinced him everything was my fault?

"This place is what I expected it to be: full of spoiled rich ignorant people and teachers who look down on you," Ulquiorra said.

"Nobody's looking down on me," Daddy replied gruffly.

Ulquiorra looked away and then glanced at me as if to say Daddy wouldn't know if they did.

"Of course. When can we go out of this place?" Ulquiorra demanded.

"We're leaving right now. I just want to enter some figures into my record book here," he said, pulling a black and white notebook out of a side desk drawer.

"You like this job, don't you, Daddy?" I asked as we were leaving. I looked pointedly at Ulquiorra so he would understand how much this all meant to our family.

"Sure do. Well, let's get ourselves home to your momma and see what her day was like."

When we arrived at our apartment, it was very quiet. At first I thought Momma and little Karen were out, but when we peered into her bedroom, we found them both curled up together a sleep.

"Let's just let them sleep," Daddy said. "Ulquiorra, what do you say me and you go get some ice cream for dessert tonight? I feel like celebrating a little."

As soon as Daddy and Ulquiorra left, I took off my dress so Momma wouldn't see how wrinkled it was, and I started to prepare dinner. Karen woke up first and cried out for me. When I walked in to get her, Momma opened her eyes.

"Oh, Orihime-chan. Are you all back?" she asked and struggled to sit up. Her face looked flushed and her eyes were glassy.

"Daddy and Ulqui-nee went to get some ice cream. Momma, you're not feeling well."

"I'm fine, honey. Just a bit tired from a full day with Karen. She's a good baby, but she's still a handful for anyone. How was your day at school?"

"Did you go to the doctor?" I asked.

"I did something even better. I went out and bought the ingredients for this tonic." She said and pointed to a bottle on the night table beside her bed.

"What is this, Momma?" I turned the bottle of dark liquid around and around in my hands. Then I opened it and smelled it. It stank.

"It's all sorts of herbs and such, my granny's formula. You'll see. I'll be better now in no time. Now let's not talk any more about me. Tell me about the school. How was it?" she asked, some excitement and brightness coming back into her eyes.

"It was okay," I said, swinging my eyes away so she couldn't see my lie. At least some of it was good, I thought. I put the bottle of herbal medicine down and took little Karen in my arms. Then I told Momma about Mr. Ukitake and some of the other teachers, but I didn't tell her about Rengiku Kurosaki and the other girls, nor did I talk about Ichigo.

Before I was finished Momma closed her eyes and brought her hands to her chest. It looked like she was having trouble taking a deep breath.

"Momma, I'm staying home from school and watching Karen-chan until this homemade medicine works or you go to the doctor!" I cried.

"Oh, no honey. You can't start missing days at a new school right off on account of me. If you stay home, I'll just be so upset, I'll get sicker and sicker,"

"But, Momma. . ."

She smiled and took hold of my right hand while I held Karen in my left arm. As long as I held little Karen-chan, she was content just sucking on her thumb and listening to me and Momma speak. Momma pulled me closer to her until she was able to reach out and stroke my hair.

"You look so pretty today. Orihime-chan. Now, I don't want you worrying and denying yourself things on account of me. I can mend myself. I been in worse spot than this, honey, believe me. Your daddy got you and Ulqui into a fancy school where you're going to get advantages we never expected either of you would have. You just can't go on like you had to in the other places," she insisted.

"But, Momma. . ."

Suddenly her eyes grew dark and intense and her face was more serious than I'd ever seen it. She squeezed my hand so tight that the bones in my finders seemed to rub against each other, but the changes in her scared me so much I couldn't pull my hand away.

"You belong in this school. Orihime. You deserve this chance."

Momma's eyes glazed over a little, as though she wandered through an old memory. Her painful grip on my hand never loosened. "You should mix with the rich and blue-blooded," she insisted. "There's no girl or boy at that school better than you, you hear?" she cried.

"But, Momma, the girls at this school wear clothes I'll never even get to try on and talk about places I'll never go. I'll never fit in with them. They seem to know so much."

"You deserve those same things, Orihime. Never forget it." With that her iron grip tightened even more, making me cry out little. My whimper seemed to make her wake up, her eyes cleared, and she let my hand go.

"All right, Momma. I promise, but if you don't get better soon – "

"I'll go to a fancy doctor, just like I promised I would. That's new promise," she proclaimed and raised her hand like a witness taking the stand in a courtroom. I shook my head. She saw I didn't believe her. "I will. I will," she repeated and lowered herself back to the pillow. "You better feed the baby before she starts letting you know you're late with her food. She can holler something awful when she's a mind to.''

I hugged Karen to me and then took her out to feed her. Daddy and Ulquiorra returned and I whispered to Daddy that Momma was sicker than ever. A worried frown drew Daddy's brown brows together.

"I'll go talk to her," he said. Ulquiorra looked in, too, and watched me feed Karen. Whenever Ulquiorra was worried and frightened about Momma, he would become as silent and as still as a statue.

"Momma's so pale and thin and weak, Ulqui-nee," I said, "but she won't let me stay home from school to mind Karen."

"Then I will stay home," he said.

"Well, what are we going to do, then?"

"Let's see if Daddy gets her to go to a doctor," I said.

When he returned, he told us Momma had promised she would definitely go if the formula didn't work.

"Stubbornness runs in her family," Daddy explained. "One time her daddy slept on his shack roof, just so he could get this woodpecker that was pecking away at the shingles every morning. Took him two days, but he wouldn't come off that roof."

Daddy's stories had us all laughing, even Ulquiorra's smile is visible, but every once in a while I would look at Momma and then exchange a glance of worry with Ulquiorra. To me Momma looked like a wilting flower. I saw little things about her that filled my balloon of worry with more and more concern. I knew if it continued, I would burst into a panic.

The next day Ichigo Kurosaki surprised me at my locker right before the homeroom bell rang.

"Going to let me take you for a ride today?" he asked, whispering in my ear.

I had thought about it all night. It would be the first time I had ever gone for a ride with a boy.

"Where would we go?"

"I know a spot on this hill that overlooks the Karakura River. You can see for miles and miles. It's beautiful. I've never taken anyone there," he added, "because I haven't met anyone I thought would appreciate it like I do. Up until now, that is."

I looked into his soft brown eyes. I wanted to go, but my heart felt funny, as if I were betraying someone. He saw the hesitation in my face.

"Sometimes you just sense things," he said. "I wouldn't ask any of these other girls because they're so spoiled they wouldn't be satisfied just looking at nature or scenery. They'd want me to take them to a fancy restaurant or something. Not than I don't want to take you to one," he added quickly. "It's just that I thought you might appreciate this the way I do."

I nodded slowly. What was I doing? I couldn't just go off with him without asking Daddy first, and I had to get back home to help Momma with Karen. And what if Ulquiorra was right and this was all some sort of secret prank engineered by Ichigo's sister and her friends?

"I've got to be home early enough to help Momma with dinner," I said.

"No problem. It's only a few minutes from here. Is it a date? I'll meet you in the lobby just after the bell rings."

"I don't know."

"We'd better start for class," he said taking my books in his arms. "Come on, I'll walk you."

As the two of us walked side by side down the corridor, we turned a number of heads. His friends all smiled and said hello to me. At my homeroom doorway he handed me my books.

"So?" he asked.

"I don't know. I'll see," I said. He laughed and shook his head.

"I'm not asking you to marry me. Not yet anyway," he added. My heart fluttered and I felt as though Ichigo had been able to read my every thought. I hadn't been able to stop myself from making up stories – my own private fairy tale – before I fell asleep last night. I had imagined handsome Ichigo Kurosaki and me becoming the ideal couple, pledging undying love for each other, and I would bring Momma and Daddy and Karen, and even Ulquiorra would come eventually because Ichigo would make him a manager or something. At the end of my fantasy Ichigo forced Rangiku to be a chambermaid.

"I'll be after you all day," he promised and went off to his own class. His brown eyes seemed so sincere. This couldn't be a joke, I thought. Please, don't let it be a trick.

When I turned to enter homeroom, I saw the looks of surprise on the faces of some of the girls who had obviously seen me with Ichigo. Chizuru's eyes were as round as half-dollars and I could see that she couldn't wait to ask me questions.

"He wants me to go for a ride with him after school," I told her finally. "Do you think his sister put him up to it?" I asked, fishing for some clues.

"His sister? Hardly. She's mad at him for even talking to you."

"Then maybe I'll go," I murmured dreamily.

"Don't do it," she warned, but I could see the excitement in her own eyes.

Every time I passed from one class to the next, Ichigo was waving and asking, "Well?" Just after I sat down in my math class, he popped his head in the door and looked at me, raising his eyebrows, questioning, I could only laugh. He disappeared quickly when the teacher turned toward him.

The only sour incident occurred when I found Rangiku waiting for me at the doorway to my next class. Mizuho was standing beside her.

"I heard that Mr. Ukitaki is considering you for the solo at the concert," she said, her eyes small and watchful.

"So?" My heart was pounding.

"He's considering me, too."

"That's nice. Good luck," I said and started into the room, but she grabbed my shoulder and spun me around.

"Don't think you can come here and take over everything, you little charity case!" she cried.

"I'm not a charity case!"

Rangiku inspected me from head to toe, releasing a disdainful sniff. "Stop deluding yourself, Orihime-chan. You don't belong here. You're an outsider. You're not one of us. You never have been and you never will be. You're just poor white trash from the wrong side of the tracks. Everyone in school knows that."

"Yeah," Mizuho threw in. "You're nothing but poor white trash."

"Don't you dare say such things to me!" I protested angrily, fighting back the tears I could feel forming in the corner of my eyes.

"Why not?" Rangiku asked. "They're true. Can't bear to hear the truth, Orihime-chan? Well, it's about time you did. Who do you think you're fooling with your wide-eyed 'Miss Innocence' act?"She sneered. "If you thinks my brother is interested in you, you're nuts."

"Kurosaki-kun likes me. He does!" I declared.

Rangiku raised an eyebrow. "I'll bet he does."

There was undertone to her words. . .an undertone I didn't like. "What are you talking about?"

"My brother loves girls like you. He turns girls like you into mothers once a month."

Mizuho laughed loudly.

"Really?" I pushed my way to Rangiku. "Well, I'll just tell Kurosaki-kun you said so." My words wiped away Rangiku's smile, and for an instant she looked panicked. Without giving her a chance to retaliate, I left Rangiku and her hateful words.

Ichigo did sit with me and Ulquiorra at lunch and spent a lot of time convincing Ulquiorra he should join the intramural basketball program. Ulquiorra was reluctant, but I could see that reluctance chipping away. I knew he liked basketball, despite his height.

"So?" Ichigo asked me as we started for class. "Have you decided yet?"

I hesitated and then told him what had happened between Rangiku and me in the morning. I didn't tell him exactly what she had said, however, just that she warned me against him.

"That little. . . witch is the only word that fits her. Wait until I get my hands on her."

"Don't, Kurosaki-kun. She'll just hate me more and try to make more trouble for me."

"Then come with me for a ride," he said quickly.

"That sounds like blackmail.'

"Yeah," he said, smiling, "but its nice blackmail."

I laughed. "Are you sure you can get me home early?"

"Absolutely." He raised his hand. "On my honor."

"All right," I said. "I'll ask my daddy."

"Great. You won't regret it," Ichigo assured me. I was so nervous about it, however, that I almost forgot to show Mr. Ukitaki my guitar. I was really walking in a daze when I entered his classroom and took my seat.

"Is there really a guitar in there or is that just the case?" he asked when I didn't mention it.

"What? Oh, it's a guitar!" I exclaimed. He laughed and asked me to play. Afterward he said I had done very well for someone without any formal lessons.

The kind look in his eyes made me reveal my secret hope. "My dream is to learn how to play the piano and have one of my own some day."

"I'll tell you what," he said, sitting forward and bracing his elbows on his desk so he could rest his chin on his clenched hands. "I need another flute player. If you'll take up the flute for the school orchestra, I'll spend three afternoons a week after school teaching you the piano."

"You will?" I nearly jumped out of my desk.

"We'll start tomorrow. Is it a deal?" he said, extending his hand over the desk.

"Oh, yes," I said and reached out to shake. He laughed and told me I should meet him in the music room right after the last class of the day tomorrow.

I couldn't wait to run down and tell Daddy. When I told Ulquiorra, I was worried he would be upset that he would have to wait alone for Daddy in Daddy's office those afternoons. He surprised me with an announcement of his own.

"I have decided to join the intramural basketball program," he said. "One of the boys in my math class needs another one on his team. And then I might join the cross-country team in spring, and lastly they force me to join in the math club."

"That's wonderful, Ulqui-nee. Maybe we can make friends here, maybe we just met the wrong people yesterday."

"I did not say I was making friends," Ulquiorra replied quickly. "I'm simply killing some times."

Daddy wasn't around, so I asked Ulquiorra to tell him I had gone for a ride and Ichigo would take me home.

"I wish you would not get involved with that Kurosaki boy."

"I'm not getting involved, Ulqui-nee. I'm just going for a ride."

"If you say so," Ulquiorra said and sit him self down sadly in a chair. I ran back upstairs to meet Ichigo. He had a pretty red car with soft furry white sheepskin covers on the seats. He opened the door for me and stepped back.

"Madam," he said with a sweeping bow.

I got in and he closed the door. The car was even prettier inside. I ran my hand over the soft covers and looked at the black leather dashboard and gearshift.

"You have a beautiful car, Kurosaki-kun," I told him when he got behind the steering wheel.

"Thank you. It was a birthday gift from my grandmother."

"A birthday gift!" How rich his grandmother must be, l thought, to give him a car as a present. He shrugged, smiled coyly, and started the engine. Then he shifted into gear and we were off.

"How did you find this wonderful place, Kurosaki-kun?" I asked as we headed away from the school and in the opposite direction from where I lived.

"Oh, I was just cruising by myself one day and came upon it. I like to go for rides and look at the scenery and think," he said. He made a turn off a main street and headed quickly down a road without many houses on it. Then he turned again, and we began to climb up a hill. "It's not much farther," he said. We passed a few houses as we continued to climb, and then Ichigo turned down a rather deserted road that ran along a field and into a patch of trees. The road was only gravel and rock.

"You found this accidentally?"

"Uh-huh."

"And you haven't taken any other girl from Karakura High up here?"

"Nope," he said, but I was beginning to have my doubts.

We drove through the small forest and came out on a clear field. There really wasn't any more road, but Ichigo continued over the grass until we came to the edge of the hill and could look out over Karakura River. Just as he promised, it was a spectacular view.

"Well?"

"It beautiful, Kurosaki-kun!" I exclaimed, thinking in the scene. "You were right."

"And you should see it at night with the stars out and the lights of the city. Think I can get you out at night?" he asked with a crooked smile.

"I don't know," I answered quickly, but I harbored a hope. That would be more like a real date, my first real date. He edged closer to me, his arm over the top of the seat.

"You're a very pretty girl, Inoue-san. The moment I saw you, I said to myself, there's the prettiest girl I've seen at Karakura High. I'm going to get to know her as fast as I can."

"Oh, lots of the girls at Karakura High are prettier than me." I wasn't trying to falsely modest. I had seen so many pretty girls with beautiful, expensive clothing. How could I compare to them? I wondered.

"They're not prettier to me," he said. "I'm glad you transferred to our school." His fingers grazed my head. "I don't believe that," he said.

"It's true. We haven't been able to stay in one place long enough," I added. He laughed.

"You say the funniest things."

"I'm not trying to be funny Kurosaki-kun. It's true," I repeated, widening my eyes for emphasis.

"Sure," he said, moving his fingers to my hair and tracing a strand with his forefinger. "You have the tiniest nose," he said and leaned forward to kiss the tip of my nose. It took me by such surprise, I sat back.

"I couldn't help it," he said and leaned forward again, this time to kiss my cheek. I looked down as his left hand settled on my knee. It sent a tingle up my thigh. "Orihime," he whispered softly to my ear. "Orihime. I just love saying your name, its so nice and elegant."

"It not elegant."

"Yes, it is," he said and brought his lips to mine. I had never kissed a boy on the lips before, although I had dreamt about it. Last night I had fantasized about kissing Ichigo, and here I was doing it! It felt like dozens of tiny explosions all over my body, and my face grew hot. Even my ears tingled.

Because I didn't back away, Ichigo moaned and kissed me again, harder this time. Suddenly I felt the hand that had been on my knee traveling up over my waist until his fingers settled around my breast. The moment they did, I pulled back and pushed him away at the same time. I couldn't help it. All the things I had beard about him flashed before my mind, especially Rangiku horrible threat.

"Easy," he said quickly. "I'm not going to hurt you."

My heart was pounding. I pressed my palm against my chest and took a deep breath.

"Are you all right?"

I nodded.

"Didn't you ever let a boy touch you there before?" he asked. When I shook my head, he tilted his skeptically. "Really?"

"Honest, no."

"Well, you're missing it all then," he said, inching toward me again. "There's nothing to be afraid of," he coaxed, bringing his hand back to my waist.

"Haven't you at least been kissed like that before?" he asked. His fingers started moving up my side. I shook my head. "Really?" He brought his hand firmly to the side of my breast. "Just relax," he said. "You don't want to be the only girl your age at Karakura High who's never been kissed and touched like this, do you? I'll do it slowly, okay?" he said barely inching forward over the top of my breast.

I took a deep breath and closed my eyes. Once again he pressed his lips to mine.

"That's it. Easy," he said. "See." The tips of his fingers surrounded a button on my blouse. I felt it open and then felt his fingers against my skin, moving like a thick spider in and under my bra. When the tips of his fingers found my nipple, I felt a surge of excitement that took my breath away.

"No," I said pulling back again. My heart was pounding so hard, I was sure he could hear it. "I. . . we'd better start back," I said. "I've got to help Momma with dinner."

"What? Help your mother with dinner? You're kidding. We just got here." He stared at me a moment.

"You don't have some other boyfriend already, do you?"

"Oh, no!" I said, nearly jumping out of my seat. He laughed and traced my collarbone with the tip of his forefinger. I felt his hot breath on my check. "Will you come back here with me one night?"

"Yes," I said with abandon. He was so handsome, and despite my fears, his touch had made my stomach feel like butterflies were flying around in it.

"Okay, I'll let you slip out of my hands this time then," he said leaned over and kissed me quickly again. Then he lowered his eyes to my opened blouse. I quickly buttoned it.

"Actually, I'm glad you're shy. Inoue-san."

"You are?" I thought he would hate me because I wasn't as sophisticated as most of the girls he knew at Karakura High.

"Sure. So many girls are know-it-alls these days. There's nothing fresh and honest about them. Not like there is about you. I want to be the one who teaches you things, makes you feel things you've never felt before. Will you let me? Will you?" he pleaded with those soft brown eyes.

"Yes," I said. I wanted to learn new things and feel new things and be just as grown-up and sophisticated.

"Good. Now, don't bring any other boys up here behind my back," he added.

"What? I wouldn't."

He laughed and got back behind the steering wheel.

"You're definitely something else, Inoue-san. Something good," he added.

I gave him the directions to take me home and finished buttoning my blouse.

"Our section of town ins't very nice," I said, preparing him. "But we're only living there until Daddy can find something better."

"Yeah, well," he said, looking at the houses along the streets in my neighborhood, "for your sake I hope that's not much longer. Don't you have any family here?" he asked.

"No. Our family is all in Hueco Mundo," I replied. "But we haven't seen them for a while because we've been traveling a lot."

"I've taken trips here and there," he said, "but summers, when most of the other kids go off to other part of the country, I have to remain in Serietia and help with the clinic and hotel," he said, smirking unhappily. He turned to me.

"It's expected that someday I'll be the one to take it over and run it."

"How wonderful Kurosaki-kun."

He shrugged.

"It's been in our family for generations. It was started as just an inn way back when there were whalers and fisherman from everywhere. We've got paintings and all sorts of antiques in the attic of the hotel, things that belonged to my great-great grandfather. Our family's just about the most important one in town, founding fathers."

"It must be wonderful to have all of that family heritage," I said. He caught the note of longing in my voice.

"What were you ancestors like?"

What would I tell him? Could I tell him the truth – that I hadn't ever seen my grandparents, much less known what they were like? And how could I explain never seeing or knowing or ever hearing from any cousins, uncles, or aunts?

"They were. . . farmers. We used to have a big farm with cows and chickens and acres and acres," I said, but I looked out my window when I said it. "I remember riding on the hay wagon when I was just a little girl, sitting up front with my grandfather, who held me in his arm while he held on to the reins. Ulqui-nee would be in the hay, looking up at the sky. My grandfather smoked a corncob pipe and played the harmonica."

"You really like your brother, don't you?" he asked.

"Yes I do, I still remember the time when I was drowning at the river. He was the one who risks he's life to save me. I'm very grateful to him." I was silent for a moment.

"So your musical talent comes from your grandfather?"

"Yes." I continued spinning the threads of m fantasy, nearly forgetting as I went on that my words were as false as false could be. "He knew all the old songs and would sing them to me, one after the other, as we went along in his wagon, and at night, too, on the porch of our big farmhouse, while he rocked and smoked and my grandmother crocheted. The chickens would run loose in the front yard, and sometimes I would try to catch one, but they were always too fast. I can still hear my grandfather laugh and laugh."

"I don't really remember too much about my grandfather, and I've never been very close to my grandmother. Life's more formal at Soul Society,"

"Turn here," I said quickly, already regretting my lies.

"Your're the first girl I've driven home," he said.

"Really? Kurosaki-kun, is that the truth?"

"Cross my heart. Don't forget. I just got my license. Besides, Inoue-san, I can't lie to you. For some reason, it would be like lying to myself." He reached over and stroked my cheek so softly I could barely feel the tip of his finger. My heart dipped. Here he was being so thoughtful and truthful, and I was making up stories about my imaginary family, stories that made him sad about his own life, a life I was sure had to be a thousand times more wonderful than mine.

"Down this street," I pointed. He turned onto our block. I saw him grimace when he saw the cluttered lots and the sloppy front yards. "That's our apartment building just ahead, the one with the toy red wagon on the sidewalk."

"Thank you," I said as soon as he pulled up.

He leaned over to kiss me, and when I leaned toward him, he brought his hand up to my breast again. I didn't pull away.

"You taste real good, Inoue-san. You're going to let me take you from another ride soon, right?"

"Yes," I said, my voice barely above a whisper. I gathered my books into my arms quickly.

"Hey," he said, "what's your cellphone number?"

"Oh, I don't have a phone yet," I said. When he looked at me strangely, I added, "My parents didn't get around to it yet and I can't afford to have one."

I got out of the car quickly and ran to my front door, positive he saw through my foolish lie. I was sure he never wanted to see me again.

Daddy and Momma were sitting at the kitchen table. Ulquiorra, who was on the couch, peered over a book at me.

"Where you been?" Daddy asked in a voice that made me start.

I looked at him. His eyes didn't soften, and there was that darkness around his face again, a darkness that made my heart pound hard and loud. I went for a ride. But I got home early enough to help with dinner and Karen," I added in my own defense.

"We just don't like you riding around with boys yet, Orihime-chan," Momma said, trying to calm the treacherous waters of Daddy's anger.

"But why, Momma? I bet the other girls my age at Karakura High go for rides with boys."

"That don't matter none," Daddy snapped. "I don't want you riding around with this boy anymore," Daddy looked up at me and his handsome face was lit with a fiery rage – my mind raced, searching desperately for a reason for Daddy's anger.

"Please, Orihime-chan," Momma said. It was followed with a cough that nearly took her breath away.

I looked toward Ulquiorra. He had the book up high, so I couldn't see his face and he couldn't see mine.

"All right, Momma."

"That's a good girl, Orihime-chan," she said. "Now we can start on dinner." Her hands were shaking, but I didn't know what caused it – her coughing or the tension in the room.

"Aren't you home early, Daddy?" I asked. I had hoped to beat him and Ulquiorra home anyway.

"I left a little early. It doesn't matter. I'm not into this job as I thought I was," he said to my surprise. Had he found out what the girls had done to me? Did that turn him against the school?'

"Did you have a fight with our Principle, Daddy?" I asked, suspecting his temper had reared its ugly head.

"No. There's just so much to do. I don't know. We'll see." He gave me a look that said there'd be no more talk about it. Since Daddy had started working at Karakura High, these looks and his temper had disappeared. Suddenly it was all returning and I was frightened.

That night, after Karen had been put to sleep and Momma and Daddy went to bed, Ulquiorra turned to me after crawling under the covers.

"I did not do anything nor do I say things that could get them anger and bothered about you going for a ride with Ichigo Kurosaki." Ulquiorra's emerald eyes begged me to believe him. "I told Father. Next thing I knew, we were rushing home. Honest."

"I believe you, Ulqui-nee. I guess they're just worried. We don't need any more problems," I said.

"Of course, it does not bother me all that much that you would not be going for rides with Kurosaki," he said. "All those rich people are spoiled and always get what they want," he said bitterly, staring at me, his gaze catching my own and holding it tightly.

"There are a lot of bad poor people, too Ulqui-nee."

"At least they have their excuse. Orihime"- he paused – "be careful." With that, Ulquiorra turned over, moving as far away from me as he could and still be in the same bed with me.

I didn't fall asleep for the longest time. All I could think about was not being able to go out with Ichigo – or even ride with him. The idea of it made me want to dig a well to cry my tears into – a well that would have been filled up in no time if Ulquiorra hadn't been there trying to sleep.

Why couldn't I have this one thing I wanted? I'd had little enough until now, my brain cried, and I'd tried so hard to keep my family happy – to make smiles appear on my Daddy's face. How could they take this away, too?

Ichigo was special. I relived his kiss, the way he brought his lips to mine, the deep brown in his eyes, the way my face glowed and the excitement that flashed through my body when his fingers touched my breast. Just thinking about it warmed me and made the butterflies in my stomach wake up all over again.

It would have been exciting parking with him on that hill at night with the lights below us and the stars above us. When I closed my eyes, I imagined him in the dark moving closer, bringing his hands back to my breasts and his lips to mine. The image was so vivid, I felt a wave of warmth travel up my body as if I had lowered myself gently into a tepid bath. When it reached my neck, I moaned. I didn't realize I had done so aloud until Ulquiorra spoke.

"Yes?" he asked.

"I didn't say anything," I said quickly.

"Is that so, okay then, good night," he repeated.

"Good night," I said and turned over so I could force myself to sleep and forget.

**To Be Continue. . .**

**A-10-tion: **Thanks to everyone for making the road to more update smoother by giving it with kind review**. **They make excellent motivation. And do apologize me for making them out of character. I have my reason in doing so. Once again, Thank you!


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